Division 

Section 

No, 


X)5309 

.T23 


>1 


4 

Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/japaninourday00tayl_0 


FIRE  FISHING  IN  THE  BAY  OF  YEUO. 


ILLUSTRATED  LIBRARY  OF  TRAVEL 


J^VPA]N[ 


1 N O K D A Y 


COMPILEIi  ANIi  ARUAXGED  BY 


i’.ayaki/taylok 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 
743  & 743  Broadway 
1881 


COPYRIGHT  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 


ISSl 


PREFATOET  NOTE. 


rMHE  rapid  change  in  tlie  policy  of  the  Japanese 
government,  wliicii  is  now  opening  tlie  Empire 
to  tlie  arts  and  ideas  of  modern  civilization,  has  been 
followed  by  a corresponding  increase  in  onr  knowledge 
of  the  Japanese  institutions  and  people.  The  com- 
pilers object  has  been  to  select  all  that  is  newest  and 
most  interestinof  in  the  works  of  recent  visitors  to  Ja- 

O 

pan,  in  order  to  make  this  volume  a tolerably  complete 
gallery  of  pictures,  representing  the  life  and  customs 
of  the  Japanese  at  this  time.  Many  strange  and  pecu- 
liar features  of  that  life  will  very  soon  pass  away,  and 
already  some  of  the  e.xperiences  related  by  Sir  Ruth- 
erford Alcock  and  M.  Humbert  could  not  be  repeated. 
It  is  believed,  therefore,  that  the  information  contained 
in  this  volume  will  be  found  not  only  attractive  in  it- 
self, but  convenient  as  a standard  by  which  to  measure 
the  great  changes  which  science  and  the  mechanic  arts 
will  eft'ect  in  the  condition  of  the  Japanese  Empire. 


PEIHGBTOH 
,m.  FtB  lb62 

theologic^'^l. 


COJN  TENTS. 


CHAPTER  1. 

r4«i 

EaI.LIF.ST  ISTKKCOUKSE  WITH  JaPAN  ....  1 

CiLVPTER  II. 

Japanese  IIiSTOuy 8 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Opening  op  Japan 20 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Alcock’s  Ascent  op  Fdsi-tama 28 

CHAPTER  V. 


Alcock’s  Ovekland  Journey  from  Nagasaki  to  Yeoo  . 40 

CHAPTER  VI. 

M.  Humbert’s  Voyage  from  Nagasaki  to  Yedo  . 56 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Residence  at  Yokohama 63 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Excursion  to  Kamakura  ....  . • 74 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Highway  to  Yedo 89 

CHAPTER  X. 


Life  in  Yedo  . 


9.5 


XII 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PAfll 

Wai.ks  in  Vkdo  

CHAPTER  XII. 

Tub  Rksidkxce  ok  the  Tvcooss  . . . 

CHAPTER  XllI 

The  Colht  a.nd  its  Revenues *34 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Citizens’  Quarter ^38 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Bridges  of  Yedo.  — The  Police  . . . 150 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Hondjo ...  158 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Japanese  Art  and  Industry  ...  . . 164 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Literature  of  the  Japanese  . . . • 1”0 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Recreations  and  Domestic  Customs  of  the  Japanese  180 

CHAPTER  X.X. 

S0.JOURN  IN  THE  Harbor 192 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Japanese  Festivals  and  Theatres  ....  199 

CHAPTER  XXII 

Varieties  of  Japanese  Life  ...  . . 209 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Gtmn*sts  wk  Wrestlers 


215 


CONTENTS. 


XIll 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PAGt 

SCENKS  AKOUNl)  YeDO 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

New-year’s  Day  in  Yedo . 2.37 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  Japanese  anu  tiieiu  Mythology  . . . 249 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  Literary  Age  of  Japan 2.38 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Popl'lar  Superstitions 2i>6 

CHAPTER  .XXIX 

The  New  Order  of  Things  in  Japan  . VX 


LIST  OF  JLLUSTKATIONS. 


Fihe  Fishing  in  tiik  J5av  of  Yeuo 

Fusi-yama 

Enthance  to  a Jafanese  Tavekn 
Climbing  the  Conf,  of  Fusi-vama 
Simonoseki 

Entkancf,  to  the  Harbor  of  Hiogo 
Daimios  .... 

Japanese  Bf.ttos  . 

Japanese  Ladies  going  to  pay  a Visit 

Japanese  crossing  a Mountain  Gorge 

Japanese  Tea  House 

Japanese  Pilgrims 

A Street  Scene  in  .Japan 

Entrance  to  the  American  Legation,  Ykdo  . 

Americ.an  Legation,  Yedo 

Noon  Scene  on  a Japanese  Canal  . 

Little  Jugglers  in  the  Streets  of  Y’edo 
Japanese  Blacksmiths 
Soldier  of  the  Tycoon 
A Parricide  on  the  Way  to  E.tecution 

A Japanese  Stable  

Japanese  Cook  . . . _ 

Japanese  Restaurant  at  Yedo 
Priest  of  the  Higher  Grade 
A Japanese  School 
Countryman.  Winter  Costume 
Citizen  of  Yedo.  Winter  Costume 


PAOt 

h’rontixpifre. 

••10 


.36 


4.5 

46 


.50 


64 

6€ 

71 


83 
91 
9.5 
. 99 

105 
. lOS 

no 
. 118 
1.33 
. 138 

144 
. 146 

160 
. 170 

180 
. 183 


XVI 


LllSl  OF  lUMSTHA  llOSS 


PAQ( 

Japanese  Marriage . 1H4 

The  Mikado  oe  Japan  ....  ...  192 

Fete  of  the  Sea-god . 197 

New  Year’s  Festivities  . • . .199 

Japanese  Festival  of  the  Banners  ...  2on 

Procession  of  the  White  Elephant 2ni 

Japanese  Theatre  — Scenes  before  the  Curtain  . 202 

Japanese  Theatre  — Scenes  behind  the  Certain  . . 206 

Tortoise  Charmer 208 

Japanese  Wrestlers .215 

Japanese  Feats  at  Balancing 248 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAJS". 


CHAPTER  I. 


EARI-IEST  INTERCOURSE  WITH  JAPAN. 

LTHOUGH  the  history  of  the  Japanese,  as  an 


organized  and  civilized  people,  extends  back  be- 
yond the  Christian  era,  the  ancient  geographers  were 
ignorant  of  the  very  existence  of  the  Empire.  Tlie 
first  notice  of  Japan  ever  given  to  the  world  is  found 
in  the  travels  of  Marco  Polo,  who  heard  of  the  coun- 
try, under  the  name  of  Zipangu,  at  the  court  of  Kublai 
Khan  (in  Peking),  at  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury. This  is  his  brief  description : — 

“ Zipangu  is  an  island  in  the  Eastern  Ocean,  situate 
at  the  distance  of  about  1,500  miles  from  the  mainland 
of  3IanJi  [Mantchooria  ?].  It  is  of  considerable  size  ; 
its  inhabitants  have  fair  complexions,  are  well  made, 
and  are  civilized  in  their  manners.  Their  reliorion  is 
the  worship  of  idols.  They  are  independent  of  every 
foreign  power,  and  governed  only  by  their  kings.  They 
have  gold  in  the  greatest  abundance,  its  sources  being 
inexhaustible  ; but  as  the  king  does  not  allow  of  its 
being  exported,  few  merchants  visit  the  country,  nor  is 
it  frequented  by  much  shipping  from  other  ports.  To 
this  circumstance  we  are  to  attribute  the  extraordinary 


1 


2 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


richness  of  the  sovereign’s  palace,  according  to  what 
we  are  told  by  those  who  have  had  access  to  the  place. 
The  entire  roof  is  covered  with  a plating  of  gold,  in 
the  same  manner  as  we  cover  houses,  or  more  proi)erly 
churches,  with  lead.  The  ceilings  of  the  halls  are  of 
the  same  precious  metal  ; ir  any  of  the  apartments  have 
small  tables  of  pure  gold,  considerably  thick,  and  the 
windows  also  have  goltlen  ornaments.  So  vast,  indeed, 
are  the  riches  of  the  palace,  that  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
vey an  idea  of  them.  In  this  island  there  are  pearls 
also  in  large  quantities,  of  a red  color,  round  in  shape 
and  of  great  size  ; equal  in  value  to,  or  even  exceeding, 
that  of  the  Avhite  pearls.  It  is  customary  with  one 
part  of  the  inhabitants  to  bury  their  dead,  and  with 
another  part  to  burn  them.  The  former  have  a prac- 
tice of  putting  one  of  these  pearls  into  the  mouth  of 
the  corpse.  There  are  also  found  there  a number  of 
precious  stones. 

“ Of  so  great  celebrity  was  the  wealth  of  this  island, 
that  a desire  Avas  excited  in  the  breast  of  the  Grand 
Khan  Kublai,  now  reigning,  to  make  the  conquest  of 
it,  and  to  annex  it  to  his  dominions.” 

Japan  Avas  first  really  discoA'ered  — that  is,  made 
knoAvn  to  Europe  from  actual  obserA'ation  — fifty  years 
after  the  discovery  of  America.  In  the  year  1542,  a 
Portuguese  A^essel,  bound  for  Macao,  was  driven  far  out 
of  her  course  by  a tempest,  and  finally  arrived  in  the 
harbor  of  Bungo,  on  the  Japanese  island  of  Kiusiu,  the 
most  southerly  of  the  five  great  islands  of  the  Empire. 
Although  the  Japanese,  on  account  of  their  previous 
wars  with  China,  were  cautious  and  A’igilant  in  their 
intercourse  with  foreigners,  there  was  no  prohibition 


EARLIEST  INTERCOURSE  WITH  JAPAN.  3 


of  such  intercourse,  and  the  Portuguese  were  kindly 
received.  The  latter  took  advantage  of  tlieir  accident, 
and  made  a treaty  witli  tlie  Prince  of  Bungo,  by  vvliich 
a Portuguese  vessel  was  to  be  sent  every  year,  for  the 
purposes  of  commerce.  Seven  years  later,  several 
Jesuit  priests,  among  them  the  distinguished  Francis 
Xavier,  went  to  Japan,  in  order  to  undertake  the  con- 
version of  the  people.  They  were  heartily  welcomed, 
not  only  in  the  province  of  Bungo,  but  throughout  the 
entire  country.  The  Portuguese  were  as  free  to  preach 
as  to  trade,  and  for  twenty  years,  or  more,  both  avoca- 
tions flourished  without  interruption.  In  the  year 
1585,  an  embassy  of  seven  Japanese  Christians  visited 
Rome,  and  by  the  end  of  the  century  the  number  of 
converts  was  estimated  at  two  hundred  thousand.  The 
Portuguese  trade,  through  the  ports  of  Bungo,  Firando, 
and  Nagasaki,  became  so  lucrative  that  Macao  rose  to 
be  one  of  the  wealthiest  cities  of  the  East. 

In  April,  1600,  the  first  Dutch  vessel,  piloted  by  an 
English  sailor  named  William  Adams,  reached  Japan. 
After  some  delay  and  suspicion  on  the  part  of  the  Jap- 
anese, the  Dutch  captain  was  allowed  to  dispose  of  his 
cargo  and  leave,  but  Adams  was  retained,  on  account 
of  his  knowledge  of  mathematics  and  shiiibuilding.  He 
was  very  well  treated,  but  remained  a compulsory  res- 
ident of  Japan,  until  his  death,  twentv  vears  later. 
Meanwhile  the  Dutch  had  followed  up  their  advantage, 
and  maintained  a limited  trade  through  the  port  of 
Firando,  in  spite  of  the  protestations  of  the  Portuguese. 
The  English,  also,  while  Adams  was  yet  living,  ob- 
tained the  same  jin'dlege,  but  their  commercial  inter- 
course was  slight,  and  was  finally  discontinued,  because 
it  did  not  prove  very  profitable. 


4 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


Hie  persecution  of  the  native  Christians  by  the  Jap- 
anese Government  liad  already  commenced.  It  ap- 
pears that  tlie  Franciscan  and  Dominican  orders  had 
followed  in  the  wake  of  the  Jesuits,  and  that  the  jeal- 
ousy of  these  three  sects,  together  with  their  increasing 
defiance  of  the  Japanese  authority,  had  given  rise  to 
frequent  and  serious  troubles.  Crosses,  shrines,  and 
churches  were  erected  in  prohibited  j)laces ; religious 
processions  were  led  through  the  very  streets  of  Miako, 
and  the  hostility  of  the  government  needlessly  pro- 
voked in  other  ways.  Once  thoroughly  aroused,  it 
manifested  itself  in  the  most  inhuman  forms.  Never- 
theless after  the  massacres  of  1612  and  1614,  the  Por- 
tuguese continued  to  import  missionaries,  in  violation 
of  the  Imperial  order ; whereupon  their  intercourse 
with  Japan  was  restricted  to  the  little  island  of  Desima, 
in  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki. 

The  closing  episode  of  this  history  was  brought 
about  by  the  capture  of  a Portuguese  vessel  off  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  by  the  Dutch.  Among  other 
things  found  on  board  the  prize,  there  were  certain 
treasonable  letters  to  the  King  of  Portugal,  written  by 
a native  Japanese,  who  had  long  been  a principal 
acent  of  the  Portuguese  in  the  countiy,  and  was  a de- 
vout Catholic.  These  letters  (according  to  Dutch 
authority)  revealed  a plot  by  which  the  Portuguese 
were  to  unite  with  tlie  Japanese  Christians,  overturn  the 
old  empire  and  establish  a new  and  Christian  dynasty. 
The  Dutch  Government  immediately  dispatched  these 
documents  to  Japan:  it  was  a welcome  opportunity  of 
overthrowing  the  influence  of  their  hated  rivals,  and 
gecuiino  for  themselves  the  monopoly  of  trade.  The 


EARUEST  INTERCOURSE  WITH  JAPAN.  6 


evidence  on  botli  sides  must  be  received  with  caution ; 
indeed,  in  tliis  wliole  history,  »ve  can  only  be  certain  in 
regard  to  the  results.  Tlie  Japanese  agent  denied  the 
autliorship  of  the  letters,  wliich  the  Portuguese  also 
assert  to  have  been  Dutch  forgeries  ; but  the  former 
was  burned  at  the  stake,  and  an  imperial  proclamation 
was  issued  (in  1637)  decreeing  that  “■the  whole  race 
of  the  Portuguese,  with  their  mothers,  nurses,  and 
whatever  belongs  to  them,  shall  be  banished  forever.” 

The  same  proclamation  set  forth  that  no  Japanese 
ship  or  boat,  or  any  native  of  Japan,  should  henceforth 
presume  to  quit  the  country  under  pain  of  forfeiture 
and  death  ; that  any  Japanese  returning  from  a foreign 
country  should  be  put  to  death  ; that  no  nobleman  or 
soldier  should  be  suftered  to  purchase  anything  of  a 
foreigner  ; that  any  person  presuming  to  bring  a letter 
from  abroad,  or  to  return  to  Japan  after  he  had  been 
banished,  should  die,  with  all  his  family,  and  that  who- 
ever presumed  to  intercede  for  such  offenders  should 
be  put  to  death  ; that  all  persons  who  propagated  the 
doctrines  of  the  Christians  or  bore  that  scandalous 
name,  should  be  seized  and  imprisoned  as  felons,  — 
with  many  other  provisions  of  the  same  nature.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  the  exclusive  system  of  Japan, 
which  was  maintained  for  a little  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years. 

The  final  persecution  and  extermination  of  the  Jap- 
anese Christians  followed  this  decree.  The  town  of 
Simabara,  in  which  they  had  taken  refuge,  was  battered 
down  by  the  aid  of  Dutch  cannon,  and  a general 
slaughter  followed.  This  was  the  end  of  Catholic 
Christianity  in  Japan.  But  the  Dutch,  instead  of  ob- 


6 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


tainino;  more  liberal  conditions  of  trade  in  return  for 
their  services,  were  obliged  to  be  content  with  the  same 
limitation  of  intercourse  which  had  previously  been  im- 
posed upon  tlie  Portuguese.  Tliey  were  restricted  to 
the  little  island  of  Desima,  six  hundred  feet  in  length 
by  two  hundred  and  forty  in  bieadth,  in  the  harbor  of 
Nagasaki,  and  thus,  just  a hundred  years  after  the  first 
discovery  of  Japan,  the  isolation  of  the  Empire  was 
established.  Kampfer,  w'riting  at  the  close  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century,  says,  “ In  short,  by  our  humble  com- 
plaisance and  connivance,  we  were  so  far  from  bringing 
this  proud  and  jealous  nation  to  any  greater  confidence, 
or  more  intimate  friendship,  that,  on  the  contrary,  their 
jealousy  and  mistrust  seemed  to  increase  fi’om  that 
time.  They  both  hated  and  despised  us  for  what  we 
had  done.  In  the  year  1641,  soon  after  the  total  ex- 
pulsion of  the  Portuguese  and  the  suppression  of 
Christianity  among  the  natives,  we  w'ere  ordered  to 
quit  our  comfortable  factory  at  Fii’ando,  and  to  confine 
ourselves,  under  a very  rigid  inspection,  to  the  small 
islet  of  Desima,  which  is  more  like  a prison  than  a fac- 
tory. So  great  w'as  the  covetousness  of  the  Dutch, 
and  so  strong  the  alluring  power  of  Japanese  gold, 
that,  rather  than  quit  the  prospect  of  a trade  (indeed 
most  advantageous)  they  willingly  underwent  an  al- 
most perpetual  imprisonment,  for  such,  in  fact,  is  our 
residence  at  Desima,  and  chose  to  suffer  many  hard- 
ships in  a foreign  and  heathen  country,  to  be  remiss  in 
performing  divine  service  on  Sundays  and  solemn  fes- 
tivals, to  leave  off  praying  and  singing  of  psalms  and 
all  the  outer  signs  of  Christianity  ; and  lastly,  patiently 
and  submissively  to  bear  the  abusive  and  injurious  be- 
havior of  these  proud  infidels  toward  us.” 


EARLIEST  INTERCOURSE  WITH  JAPAN.  7 


Having  once  accepted  the  conditions,  however,  the 
Dutch  continued  to  observe  them.  The  residence  on 
Desima  was  burdened  with  restrictions,  some  of  wliich 
were  positively  degrading : the  trade  was  limited  to 
two  vessels  a year,  and  the  privilege  of  an  annual 
journey  to  Yedo  was  afterwards  changed  to  a journey 
once  in  four  years.  The  best  reason  which  can  be 
given  for  the  continuation,  by  the  Japanese  govern- 
ment, of  a privilege  of  such  slight  commercial  im- 
|)Ortance,  must  be  found  in  that  curiosity  which  is  such 
an  important  element  in  the  character  of  the  race. 
Although  determined  to  isolate  themselves  from  the 
rest  of  the  world,  they  were  still  anxious  to  know 
what  was  going  on  in  other  nations  ; and  when  the 
empire  was  finally  opened  to  general  intercourse,  there 
was  already  a class  of  officials  sufficiently  well  in- 
formed to  comprehend  the  extent  and  importance  of 
the  new  relations  which  the  government  had  assumed. 


CHAPTER  n. 


JAPANESE  HISTORY. 


AMPFER,  Klaproth,  and  other  earlier  writers 


have  given  outlines  of  the  history  of  Japan, 
from  such  materials  as  were  accessible  to  them.  Like 
that  of  China,  and  other  ancient  Asiatic  nations,  the 
thread  of  actual  events  is  so  blended  with  fable  and 
fiction  that  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  separate  it : the  fur- 
ther we  recede  in  the  past  the  more  confused  becomes 
the  narrative,  until  we  finally  reach  a point  where 
evervthing  is  uncertain.  The  most  recent  of  the 
works  on  this  subject  has  been  compiled  Avith  the  aid 
of  an  intelligent  Japanese  scholar,^  and  offers  a much 
clearer  and  more  probable  narrative  than  we  find  in 
any  of  its  predecessors. 

The  traditional  or  fabulous  portion  of  Japanese 
history  extends  beyond  our  era ; but  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  note  those  prominent  characters  or  events, 
which  may  be  accepted  as  having  a basis  of  fact. 
The  first  of  the  noted  historical  personages  is  Yamato, 
who  is  supposed  to  have  lived  during  the  second 
century.  He  Avas  a famous  militaiw  chieftain,  belong- 
ing to  the  imperial  family,  and  achieved  the  conquest 
of  the  eastern  and  northern  portions  of  the  island  of 

I Japan;  Being  a Sketch  of  the  History,  Government,  and  Officert 
of  the  Empire.  By  Walter  Dickson.  William  Blackwood  and  Sons, 
Edinburgh,  1869 


JAPANESE  HISTORY. 


9 


Nipon.  He  left  a son,  whose  widow,  the  Empress 
Jingu,  is  another  famous  historical  chai-acler.  She 
conquered  Corea  and  made  it  tributary  to  Japan,  in 
the  third  century,  suppressed  a powerful  rel>ellion  in 
Kiusiu,  and  left  a well  established  empire  to  her  son 
0-sin,  During  the  reign  of  the  latter,  Chinese  letters 
are  said  to  have  been  introduced  into  Japan,  and  about 
the  same  period  the  Buddhist  faith  began  to  displace 
the  older  Sinto  religion,  whicdi  consisted  chiefly  of 
prayers,  without  any  distinct  idea  of  a Being  to  whom 
to  pray,  except  that  wdiite  paper,  or  a mirror,  was 
used  as  a symbol  of  purity.  The  Buddhist  faith  not 
only  included  this,  but  supplied,  in  addition,  the  idea 
of  a pure  life,  and  final  absorption  into  the  Deity, 
through  self-denial.  Hence  it  spread  very  rapidly; 
and  its  introduction,  by  way  of  China,  brought  with 
it  various  Chinese  customs,  which  somewhat  modified 
the  Japanese  institutions,  such  as  the  degrees  of  rank 
among  government  officials. 

There  were  other  wars  with  Corea  about  the 
middle  of  the  seventh  century,  and  about  the  same 
time  the  northern  island  of  Yeso  was  brought  under 
subjection  to  Japan.  The  capital  of  the  empire, 
which  w'as  then  divided  into  eight  provinces,  some  of 
which  were  usually  in  a state  of  revolt,  wjs  fixed  at 
Miako,  about  the  year  800.  For  three  oi  four  cen- 
turies after  this,  the  history  of  Japan  is  that  of  several 
of  its  prominent  families,  the  members  of  which  suc- 
cessively acquired  the  imperial  power.  The  principal 
of  them  are  the  Fusiwara,  Sungawara,  Minnamoto, 
and  Tatchibanna.  Their  rivalry,  of  course,  gave  rise 
to  violent  civil  wars,  during  which  certain  individuals 


10 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


acquired  ]io\ver  and  fame,  but  the  condition  of  the 
country  and  peo|)le  did  nor  crj-eatly  imjrroAC.  There 
were  no  serious  difficulties,  either  with  Corea  or  China, 
after  this  time  ; hut  the  central  power  seems  to  have 
been  based  upon  no  firm  and  permanent  svstem,  and 
thus  was  in  constant  danjier  of  being  overthrown. 

During  the  twelfth  centurv  there  was  a memorable 
struggle  between  the  IMinnamoto  and  the  Hd  or  Taira 
family.  In  the  first  great  battle  the  latter  obtained 
the  victory,  and  Kio  Mori,  its  chief,  received  the  go\'- 
ernment  of  a prov'ince.  He  became  prime  minister, 
and  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  unscrupulous  which 
Japan  had  ever  known.  After  the  death  of  the  em- 
peror, the  latter’s  successor,  a mere  boy,  married  the 
daughter  of  Kio  Mori,  who  was  practically  the  ruler  for 
ten  years.  He  died  in  1181,  leaving  a noble  name  in 
Japanese  history.  After  his  death,  however,  the  rival 
family,  the  Minnamoto,  overthrew  the  He  dynasty, 
and  exterminated,  as  was  then  supposed,  every  one 
who  bore  the  name.  In  the  centre  of  the  island  of 
Kiusiu,  there  is  a high  table-land,  partly  marsh,  from 
twenty  to  thirty  miles  in  diameter.  According  to 
Japanese  accounts,  tlie  interior  of  this  district  was 
utterly  unknown,  a hundred  years  ago,  when  the  dis- 
covery was  accidentally  made  that  there  were  people 
living  in  three  villages  in  the  midst  of  this  marsh. 
Further  investigations  having  been  made,  it  was  found 
that  these  people  were  the  remnants  of  the  H4  family, 
who  had  fled  thither  six  hundred  years  before,  and  had 
there  isolated  themselves,  through  fear  of  destruction! 
They  had  taught  their  own  fears  to  their  children, 
and  the  remote  descendants,  when  found,  were  over- 
whelmed with  the  dread  of  some  terrible  jjunishment. 


JAPANESE  ni STORY. 


11 


The  Minnamoto  emperor,  Yoritomo,  lived  at  Kama- 
kura (not  far  from  the  present  foreign  settlement  at 
Kanagawa),  where  the  ruins  of  his  palace  are  still  to 
be  seen.  He  died  in  1199,  and  is  generally  regarded 
bv  the  Japanese  as  the  greatest  hero  in  their  history. 
Kamakura  was  the  capital  for  a long  time,  and  even  in 
the  time  of  the  Jesuits,  when  Yedo  had  succeeded  to 
the  distinction,  the  |)opnlation  still  numbered  20,000. 
In  the  time  of  Kubhu  Klian  (about  1281),  Japan  was 
summoned  to  pay  tribute  to  China,  and  a large  military 
force  was  sent  to  enforce  the  demand.  The  Japanese 
chronicles  relate  that  this  “ invincible  armada  ” was 
scattered  by  a storm,  30,000  men  drowned  or  slain 
after  reaching  the  shore,  and  the  ambassadors  of  Kublai 
Khan  beheaded. 

The  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  are  chronicles 
of  civil  war,  with  occasional  changes  in  the  relation  of 
the  imperial  authority  to  the  independent  princes  ; but 
all  is  shifting,  unstable,  weak,  and  we  find  no  evidence 
that  the  natural  resources  of  the  islands  were  greatly 
developed  during  this  period.  But  the  last  period  ol 
transition  in  Japanese  history  (e.xcept  that  in  our  own 
day)  was  at  hand,  and  destined  to  be  coeval  with  the 
earliest  intercourse  with  Europeans.  The  same  year 
(1542)  which  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the  first  Portu- 
guese vessel,  gave  birth  to  lyeyas,  in  some  respects  the 
greatest  man  Jajian  ever  produced.  The  native  his- 
torians give  the  year  1552  as  that  when  Christianity 
was  first  introduced  at  Bungo  by  foreigners  from  the 
south.  This  is  evidently  an  error,  as  St.  Francis  Xa- 
vier died  in  1551,  after  two  years  spent  as  a missionary 
in  Japan. 


12 


TRA  VELS  IN  JA  PAN. 


“ The  period  at  which  this  event  [tlie  introduction 
of  Christianity]  took  place,”  says  Mr.  Dickson,  “ is 
worthy  of  note.  Japan  had  been  for  years  torn  by 
rival  factions,  and  by  the  contests  of  men  intriguing 
for  power.  The  emperor  was  powerless,  and  reduced 
by  poverty  and  neglect  to  a position  bordering  on 
contempt.  The  eastern  court  at  Kamakura  retained 
some  portions  of  its  former  power,  and  was  at  least  a 
hot-bed  where  schemes  mijiht  be  hatched  for  over- 
throwing  either  the  power  of  the  court  of  Miako,  or 
that  of  some  of  the  neighboring  princes.  Yedo  was 
almost  unknown,  except  as  a village  dependency  of 
the  castle.  The  western  provinces  were  under  the 
sway  of  independent  chiefs,  while  the  island  of  Kiusiu 
hardly  acknowledged  the  sway  of  the  Mikado.  A 
small  begiinnins  of  commerce  with  China  had  been 
going  on  for  several  years  past,  and  was  transacted  at 
Ningpo.  It  was  not  likely,  therefore,  that  at  the  first 
landing  upon  Tanegasima  the  country  and  people  of 
Japan  were  unknown  to  the  Portuguese  buccaneers 
upon  the  coast  of  China.  If  Mendez  Pinto  is  to  be 
credited,  thex'e  were  eight  hundred  Portuguese  then 
living  near  Ningpo  under  their  own  laws  ; but  if  his 
account  of  the  doings  of  his  countrymen  in  China  be 
correct  — and  it  is  in  many  respects  corroborated  by 
concurrent  testimony,  — the  men  who  sailed  about 
those  seas  were  not  exactly  the  men  best  suited  to 
spread  a healthy  commerce,  or  to  propagate  correct 
notions  of  the  Christian  religion.” 

The  freedom  allowed  to  the  first  Jesuit  missionaries 
is  partly  explained  by  the  distracted  condition  of  the 
empire  at  that  time.  The  centx*al  power  was  too  ^veak 


JAPANESE  HISTORY. 


13 


to  assert  any  particular  authority,  and  the  rival  fac- 
tions too  seriously  engaged  to  notice  an  innovation,  in 
which  they  probably  saw  no  danger.  It  was  not  until 
about  1570  that  the  chief,  Nobu  Nanga,  succeeded  in 
establishing  his  power,  and  thus  restoring  some  degree 
of  order.  He  was  joined  by  lyeyas,  still  a young  man, 
but  already  noted  for  his  great  administrative  abilities. 
Nobu  Nanga  first  commenced  a crusade  against  the 
Buddhist  priests,  who  were  equally  powerful  and  ar- 
rogant. He  took  from  them  the  great  castle  of  Osacca, 
which  had  been  one  of  their  principal  temples,  and  for 
a time  encouraged  the  Jesuits  for  his  own  purposes. 
He  overthrew  the  power  of  many  families,  and  made 
his  will  supreme  throughout  the  empire,  although  he 
was  never  the  actual  ruler. 

By  the  year  1582,  Nobu  Nanga  had  subjugateu 
nearly  the  whole  of  Japan.  He  built  a splendid  tem- 
ple, placed  his  own  statue  therein,  and  caused  divine 
honors  to  be  paid  to  it.  Returning  to  Miako  imme- 
diately afterwards,  he  was  suddenly  surrounded  while 
attended  only  by  a small  guard,  and  assassinated  by 
the  soldiers  of  a noble  whom  he  had  insulted.  He  was 
forty-nine  years  of  age  at  his  death.  Taikosama,  who 
succeeded  to  the  imperial  power,  and  Iveyas,  already 
governor  of  eight  provinces,  were  his  two  generals. 
The  former  was  a man  of  low  birth  and  misshapen 
form,  who  had  risen  by  his  native  daring  of  character 
and  great  military  talent.  lyeyas,  who  was  his  supe- 
rior in  talent,  and  possibly  in  influence,  was  one  of 
those  men  who  never  undertake  to  hasten  what  they 
feel  to  be  their  ultimate  destiny.  He  only  resisted 
Taikosama’s  pretensions  sufficiently  to  make  himself 


14 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN 


properly  respected,  and  then  acquiesced  in  the  cun* 
ninnj  emperor’s  rule. 

The  rei^n  of  Taikosama,  wliich  lasted  until  1598,  is 
notable  cliiefly  for  an  invasion  of  Corea,  at  first  suc- 
cessful, but  with  no  final  result,  and  for  his  course 
toward  the  Christians,  both  nativ'e  and  foreign.  He 
at  first  encouraged  the  latter,  following  the  policy  of 
his  predecessor  ; but  when  the  Buddhist  temples  were 
burned,  the  priests  assailed,  and  the  new  sect  showed 
itself  as  haughty  and  intolerant  as  the  old,  he  began  to 
adopt  measures  of  repression.  fhe  five  Franciscan 
monks,  whom  he  ordered  to  be  executed  at  Na<rasaki 
in  1587,  had  repeatedly  violated  his  commands  and 
defied  his  authority;  the  Jesuit  writers,  themselves, 
attribute  to  the  Fi'anciscans  the  responsibility  of  the 
persecution  of  the  Japanese  Christians. 

The  same  ])olicy  seems  to  have  influenced  lyeyas, 
who  succeeded  Taikosama,  and  reigned  until  1616. 
He  was  a leader  of  remarkable  military  genius,  who 
never  hesitated  to  engage  a force  double  his  own,  and 
very  rarely  knew  what  it  was  to  be  defeated.  Every 
revolt  against  his  authority  was  suppressed,  and  he 
remained,  for  eighteen  years,  supreme  ruler  of  Janan. 
The  fact  that  the  Christians  took  sides  against  him  in 
the  great  rebellion  of  1600,  goes  far  to  account  for  his 
later  severity  toward  them.  Nevertheless,  even  the 
Jesuit  writers  give  lyeyas  credit  for  the  moderation 
and  sagacity  with  which  he  exercised  his  power.  He 
pardoned  as  frequently  as  he  punished  ; his  great  aim 
seems  to  have  been  to  establish  a central  authority 
strong  enough  to  control  the  s(*mi-independent  prov- 
inces, and  thereby  both  strengthen  the  power  and 
favor  the  development  of  the  Japanese  race. 


JAPANESE  n I STORY. 


15 


lycyas  may  be  considered  as  tl)e  founder  of  Yedo. 
Tlie  earlier  capital  of  Kamakura  liad  fallen  into  decay. 
A part  of  the  j)resent  castle  of  Yedo  >vas  already  in 
existence,  and,  curiously  enough,  on  a suinnier-house 
ill  the  jiarden  attached  to  it  there  was  engraved  a 
stanza,  which  is  now  looked  upon  by  the  Japanese  as 
a jM'ophecy  of  coining  events,  finally  accomplished  in 
our  day  : — 

“From  this  window  I look  upon  Fiisi-yama, 

^yitll  its  snow  of  a tlioiisaml  years; 

To  my  gate  ships  will  come  from  the  far  East, 

Ten  thousand  miles." 

Mr.  Dickson  says:  “Considering  the  associations 
which  hung  around  Miako  and  Narra  and  Osacca  as 
the  capitals,  imperial,  ecclesiastical,  and  commercial,  of 
the  empire,  it  might  be  deemed  a great  stretch  of 
power  and  firm  confidence  in  himself  and  the  stability 
of  his  .system  of  <;overnment,  that  Iveyas  should  think 
of  removing  the  seat  of  the  executive  to  Yedo.  He 
had  doubtless  pondered  long  and  deeply  over  the  best 
system  of  government  for  the  country.  He  had  seen 
the  anarchy  which  preceded  the  rise  of  Nobu  Nanga 
to  power ; he  had  seen  the  want  of  system  by  which 
the  structure  of  government  at  that  time  had  crumbled 
down  with  the  fall  of  the  one  man  upon  whose  shoul- 
ders it  had  been  supported  ; he  had  all  the  e.xperience 
since  that  time  to  be  gained  from  ruling  an  extensive 
territory  of  his  own,  combined  with  what  observations 
he  might  make  upon  the  system  of  Taikosama.  In 
the  settling  of  that  system,  doubtless,  he  had  a large 
share  ; but  he  went  further  than  Taikosama,  and,  dis- 
regarding the  old  associations  connected  with  Miako, 


16 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


he  removed  the  seat  of  the  executive  to  his  own  prov- 
inces and  to  his  own  court  iii  the  city  of  Yedo,  in  what 
was  considered  a remote  part  of  the  empire,  tlie  inhabi- 
tants of  wliich  were  looked  upon  as  rude  and  unpol- 
ished. Tlie  city,  when  lyeyas  first  took  jiossession  of 
the  castle,  consisted  only  of  one  street.  It  increased 
very  much  in  size  under  his  care,  and  throu<rh  the  res- 
idence  of  the  court,  the  dainiios,  and  their  wives  and 
families ; and  in  no  long  time  became  a city  of  great 
commercial  importance.” 

The  Jesuit  writers,  in  1607,  state  that  300,000  work- 
men were  then  employed  upon  the  imperial  castle  in 
Yedo. 

When  lyeyas  died,  he  left  his  son  Hidetada  as  his 
successor  ; but  his  most  valuable  legacy  to  Japan  was 
his  code  of  laws,  or  rather  rules  of  political  action, 
which  were  added  to  the  older  laws  already  in  prac- 
tice, but  did  not  wholly  supersede  them.  This  code, 
which  is  partly  drawn  from  the  works  of  Confucius 
and  Mencius,  is  characterized  by  great  shrewdness  and 
knowledjre  of  human  nature.  Manv  of  the  one  huii- 
dred  rules  apply  to  existing  institutions  or  habits  of 
society,  and  have  therefore  only  a local  importance  ; 
but  there  are  some  of  a general  nature,  w'hich  might 
be  profitably  adopted  by  all  nations.  Take,  for  in- 
stance, the  following : — 

1.  “ When  I was  young  I determined  to  fight  and 
punish  all  my  own  and  my  ancestors’  enemies,  and  I 
did  punish  them  ; but  afterwards,  by  deep  considera- 
tion, I found  that  the  way  of  heaven  was  to  help  the 
people,  and  not  to  punish  them.  Let  my  successors 


JAPANESE  HISTORY. 


17 


follow  cut  this  policy,  or  they  are  not  of  my  line.  In 
this  lies  tlie  strenijth  of  tlie  naticni.” 

2.  “ There  are  men  wlio  always  say  Yes,  and  there 
are  others  who  sometimes  say  No.  Now,  the  former 
I wish  to  put  away  from  me,  and  the  latter  I wisli  to 
be  near  me.  Tiie  elders  of  tlie  Gorogin  are  to  ex- 
amine and  see  that  men  do  not  do  such  business  only 
as  is  agreeable  to  tliem,  and  avoid  all  that  is  the  re- 
verse, I wish  to  have  about  me  all  opinions  of  men, 
both  those  who  differ  from  me  and  those  who  agree 
with  me.” 

3.  “ The  master  of  men  must  know  what  each  is 
useful  for.  Men  are  like  instruments:  one  cannot 
do  the  work  of  a chisel  with  a hammer ; one  cannot 
make  a small  hole  with  a saw,  but  a gimlet  must  be 
used.  The  princijile  is  the  same  as  to  men.  Men 
with  brains  are  to  be  used  for  work  requiring  brains  ; 
men  of  s:r>ng  frame  for  work  requiring  strength  ; men 
of  strong  heart  for  work  requiring  courage.  Weak 
men  are  to  be  put  in  poo>‘  places.  Every  man  in  his 
proper  place.  Tliere  are  places  for  weak  men  and 
places  for  fools.  Soldiers  are  to  be  chosen  on  these 
principles,  so  that  with  a thousand  men  in  one  body, 
the  whole  may  act  together  and  the  empire  have 
peace.  Tliis  is  always  to  be  kept  in  memory.” 

lyeyas  further  records  that  he  has  fought  ninety  bat- 
tles, and  has  had  eighteen  narrow  escapes  from  death, 
— wherefore  he  erected  eighteen  splendid  temples,  in 
different  parts  of  the  empire.  From  his  niles  con- 
cerning intercourse  with  foreigners,  we  quote  the  fol- 
lowing passages : — 

1.  “ If  any  representat''^e  of  a foreign  nation  comes 
2 


18 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


to  the  country,  the  officers  must  take  care  that  every- 
thing is  in  good  order ; tliat  horses  and  horse-furni- 
ture be  good,  tlie  houses  and  roads  clean.  If  they  are 
dirty,  it  can  be  seen  at  a glance  whether  the  nation  is 
prosperous  or  the  reverse,” 

2.  “ If  a foreign  vessel  should  be  wrecked  on  the 
shore  of  Japan,  tlie  officers  of  government  are  to  be 
immediately  informed,  and  an  interpreter  is  to  be  sent 
to  ask  what  they  require.  Sometimes  the  officer  may 
be  required  to  be  strict  and  severe,  at  other  times  hos- 
pitable and  kind.  The  vessel  is  to  be  watched  and  no 
trading  allowed.” 

These  laws  of  Iveyas,  and  the  additional  measures 
■which  he  enforced  during  the  eighteen  years  of  his 
reign,  really  accomplished  the  great  ends  he  had  in 
view,  — that  of  establishing  his  own  family  in  power, 
and  preserving  the  internal  peace  of  the  empire.  In 
the  year  1806  a grand  national  festival  was  held  in 
Japan,  when  the  nobles  and  people  congratulated  the 
emperor  on  the  remarkable  fact  — to  which  there  is 
no  parallel  in  the  history  of  any  other  nation,  — that 
the  empire  had  enjoyed  an  unbroken  peace  for  nearly 
two  hundn'd  years.  During  this  time  the  internal 
resources  of  the  country  had  been  highly  developed  ; 
Yedo  had  grown  to  be  one  of  the  great  cities  of  the 
■world  ; the  isolation  of  Japan  had  been  scrupulously 
respected  by  more  civilized  nations  ; and  the  restric- 
tions imposed  upon  the  people  had  grown,  by  in- 
heritance, to  be  a natural  accompaniment  of  their 
lives. 

Except  a rebellion  of  no  extent  or  importance,  in 
1838,  the  Japanese  annals  record  nothing  of  much 


JAPANESE  HISTORY. 


19 


more  interest  than  fires,  earthquakes,  or  showers  of 
meteoric  stones,  until  the  commencement  of  inter- 
course with  foreign  nations,  in  our  day.  From  this 
time,  the  history  of  Japan  will  be  associated  with  that 
of  the  United  States,  England,  and  Russia,  in  the 
development  of  civiliiat.on. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


THE  OPENING  OF  JAPAN, 


FTER  llie  expulsion  of  tlie  Portuguese  and  the 


confinement  of  the  Dutch  to  the  little  island  of 
Desiina,  in  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki,  no  serious  attempt 
was  made,  for  two  hundred  years,  by  any  great  commer- 
cial nation,  to  enter  into  relations  with  Japan.  The  Eng- 
lish, in  1673,  applied  for  permission  to  trade,  but  the 
cajitain  of  the  vessel  was  immediately  asked  by  the 
Japanese  officials,  whether  his  king  had  not  married 
the  daughter  of  the  Kino;  of  Portujral  ? This  infor- 
mation  had  been  furnished  to  them  by  the  Dutch,  who 
seem  to  have  constantly  made  use  of  their  exclusive 
opportunities  to  prejudice  the  Japanese  against  other 
European  nations. 

A small  embassy,  sent  from  Okhotsk  in  1793,  by 
order  of  the  Empress  Catherine  II.  was  repelled,  though 
in  a courteous  manner.  Several  English  vessels  made 
separate  attempts  to  trade,  about  the  same  time,  with 
similar  results,  the  Japanese  exhibiting  the  greatest 
decision  and  firmness  in  their  policy,  yet  being  careful 
to  avoid  ffiviim  cause  for  retaliation.  Even  in  their 
imprisonment  of  the  Russian  Captain  Golownin  and  his 
men,  in  1812  and  1813,  they  seem  to  have  avoided  all 
wanton  harshness.  Their  conduct,  in  short,  gave  rise 
to  a general  belief  in  the  great  strength  of  their  nation 


TBE  OPENING  OF  JAPAN. 


21 


and  its  defenses,  and  undoubtedly  contributed  to  post- 
pone the  enforcement  of  a nearer  intercourse,  until  the 
progress  of  steam  navigation  and  the  use  of  lieavier 
artillery  furuished  other  countries  with  the  means  of 
supporting  their  representatives  by  adequate  pliysical 
power. 

A rather  singular  attempt  was  made  by  the  English, 
in  1808.  During  the  summer  of  that  yeax*,  a ship 
under  Dutch  coloi's  entered  the  harbor  of  Nao-asaki. 

o 

The  Dutch  Governor  of  Desima,  M.  Doeft',  who  was 
expecting  the  usual  ti'adei’,  sent  one  of  his  suboi'dinates 
on  board.  As  the  latter  did  not  retixrn,  the  suspicions 
of  M.  Doeff  and  tlie  Japanese  Governor  of  Nagasaki 
wei*e  excited,  and  for  a day  or  two  various  plans  wei’e 
discussed,  of  burning  the  straixge  vessel  by  means  of  a 
fii'e-ship,  of  closing  the  mouth  of  the  hai’bor  by  siuk- 
ing  junks  filled  with  stones,  etc.  But,  before  any  plan 
could  be  carried  into  execution,  the  ship,  which  was  tlie 
English  frigate  Pliceton.,  hoisted  anchor  and  sailed 
away,  leaving  the  Japanese  governor  and  his  principal 
officers  under  the  necessity  of  committing  suicide. 

In  the  summer  of  1813,  two  vessels,  apparently 
Dutch,  arrived  at  Nagasaki.  They  wei’e,  in  fact,  dis- 
patched from  Batavia  by  Sir  Stamford  Raffles,  the 
English  Governor  of  Java,  'wko  sent  with  them  1\[. 
Waardenaar,  a former  Governor  of  Desima,  to  I’eplace 
M.  Doeff,  who,  having  been  cut  off  from  the  world  for 
four  years,  was  entirely  ignorant  that  Java  had  tempo- 
rarily passed  out  of  the  hands  of  Holland.  Neverthe- 
less, on  learning  the  facts,  he  I'efused  to  comply  with 
the  ordei’,  or  to  acknowledge  the  authority  by  which 
his  successor  was  appointed.  It  was  impossible  to  com- 


22 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


pel  him;  for  tlie  Jaj)anese  authorities  would  have 
answered  his  application  by  destroying  the  two  Eng- 
lish vessels.  An  arrangement  was  made  by  which  the 
trade  was  conducted  in  the  usual  manner,  the  ships 
being  allowed  to  depart,  and  M.  Doetf  retaining  pos- 
session of  Desima,  for  Holland.  The  cunnin2  scheme 
of  Sir  Stamford  Raffles  was  thus  baffled. 

Captain  Gordon,  in  1818,  and  Sir  Edward  Belcher, 
in  1845,  visited  ports  in  Japan,  but  were  warned  off 
and  not  allowed  any  intercourse  with  the  shore.  Be- 
fore the  latter  date,  however,  the  first  American 
attempt  had  been  made  to  establish  intercourse.  In 
1831,  a Japanese  junk  was  blown  out  to  sea,  and 
after  drifting  about  for  a long  time,  at  length  went 
ashore  near  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River.  Kind- 
ness was  shown  to  the  shipwrecked  Japanese,  and 
finally  they  wei’e  carried  to  Macao,  whei*e  they  re- 
ceived the  protection  and  care'  of  the  American  and 
English  residents.  It  was  decided  to  return  them  to 
their  home,  as  a means  of  attempting  communication. 
Accordingly  the  ship  Morrison  was  fitted  out  by  the 
American  house  of  King  & Co.  for  the  voyage  to 
Japan,  all  her  armament  being  remov^ed,  to  demon- 
strate her  pacific  mission.  But,  on  I’eaching  the  bay 
of  Yedo,  the  Japanese  no  sooner  ascertained  that  the 
vessel  was  unarmed  than  they  opened  fire  upon  her. 
She  then  made  a second  attempt,  in  the  harbor  of  Ka- 
gosima  (in  the  island  of  Kiusiu),  but  was  driven  off 
by  a battery  on  shore,  and  forced  to  return  to  China 
with  the  Japanese  exiles. 

The  first  expedition  was  sent  by  the  United  States 
to  Japan  in  1846.  It  consisted  of  the  sliip-of-:he- 


THE  OPENING  OF  JAPAN. 


23 


line  Columbus.,  and  the  corvette  Vincennes,  under 
command  of  Commodore  Biddle.  The  expedition  re- 
mained ten  days  in  the  bay  of  Yedo,  the  ships  con- 
stantly surrounded  by  four  hundred  Japanese  gnard- 
boats,  filled  with  soldiers.  No  one  was  allowed  to 
land,  and  the  Emperor’s  answer  to  the  President’s  let- 
ter consisted  of  the  single  sentence : “ No  trade  can 
be  allowed  with  any  country  except  Holland.” 

The  visit  of  the  frigate  Preble,  in  1849,  was  of  a 
different  character.  Information  had  reached  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  that  sixteen  Ameri- 
can seamen,  w'ho  had  been  shipwrecked  on  the  Japan- 
ese coast,  were  kept  as  prisoners  in  the  country,  and 
Captain  Glynn  of  the  China  squadron  was  sent  to  Na- 
gasaki with  the  Preble  to  demand  their  release.  On 

C 

entering  the  harbor,  a number  of  large  boats  attempted 
to  prevent  the  frigate’s  further  advance  ; but  she  sailed 
boldly  through  them  to  a good  anchorage.  The  hills 
around  soon  swarmed  with  soldiers,  and  sixty  cannon, 
in  batteries,  were  trained  to  bear  on  the  Preble's  decks. 
The  tone  of  the  Japanese  authorities  was  haughty  and 
defiant,  but  Captain  Glynn  met  them  with  a deter- 
mined spirit,  demanding  the  immediate  release  of  the 
prisoners.  At  the  end  of  two  days  the  latter  were 
sent  on  board,  and  the  frigate  returned  to  China. 

Early  in  1852,  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
determined  to  make  a formal  application  to  that  of  Ja- 
pan to  establish  intercourse  between  the  two  nations, 
and  to  dispatch  it  by  a fleet  sufficiently  large  and 
well-appointed  to  insure  a proper  reception.  Twelve 
vessels,  including  supply  ships,  were  designated  for 
the  service,  and  C<mimodore  M.  C.  Perry  was  ap- 


24 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


pointed  to  the  command,  with  the  necessary  diplomatic 
powers.  His  flag-ship,  the  Mississippi,  sailed  from 
Norfolk  in  November,  1862,  and  the  squadron  was 
organized  on  the  coast  of  China  in  the  spring  of  1853. 
After  a visit  to  the  Loo-Choo  and  Bonin  Islands, 
Commodore  Perry  reached  the  bay  of  Yedo  in  July, 
and  had  an  interview  with  two  commissioners,  ap- 
pointed by  the  Emperor,  at  the  town  of  Gori-hama, 
on  the  14th  of  that  month. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  enter  into  a minute  relation  of 
all  the  proceedings  on  this  and  the  following  occasion, 
when  the  first  treaty  was  made.  Commodore  Perry 
adopted,  at  the  outset,  the  only  policy  which  could 
have  been  successful,  combining  firmness  and  courtesy 
with  an  assertion  of  dignity  which  the  Japanese  under- 
stood through  their  own  customs.  No  interference  with 
the  vessels  was  permitted ; the  preliminary  discussions 
were  ail  conducted  by  naval  officers  of  lower  rank, 
the  Commodore  only  making  his  appearance  at  the 
interview  with  the  two  princes ; and  the  declarations 
of  the  power  and  importance  of  the  American  nation 
were  skillfully  coupled  with  expressions  of  friendship 
and  respect  for  the  Japanese.  The  point  gained  by 
this  first  visit  was  a courteous  reception  of  the  Presi- 
dent’s letter,  and  the  establishment  of  pleasant  per- 
sonal relations  with  some  of  the  chief  Japanese  officials. 

The  government  having  demanded  time,  for  pre- 
paring an  answer  to  the  a])])lication,  the  fleet,  after 
having  visited  the  upper  part  of  the  bay,  returned  to 
China.  The  second  visit  was  made  in  February,  1854, 
with  the  entire  squadron.  After  rather  tedious  negoti- 
ations, it  was  agreed  that  the  further  conferences  should 


THE  OPENING  OF  JAPAN. 


25 


Se  field  at  Yokohama,  and  Commodore  Perry  ’anded 
tnere,  tlie  second  time  in  Japan,  on  the  8tli  of  March. 
Tlie  discussion  with  the  commissioner  appointed  by 
the  Emperor  continued  until  tlie  23d,  when  a treaty 
was  finally  agreed  upon,  which  was  signed  on  the 
31st.  This  treaty  ojiened  the  ports  of  Simoda,  in 
Nifoii,  and  Ilakodadi,  in  Yeso,  to  American  v'essels, 
permitting  all  necessary  commerce,  and  the  freedom  of 
the  country  for  a distance  of  seven  Japanese  miles 
from  those  ports.  It  was  also  stipulated  that  the 
United  States  should  appoint  consuls  to  reside  in  both 
places. 

The  success  of  the  United  States  was  immediately 
shared  by  England  and  Russia,  whose  exjieditions 
reached  Japan  within  a y'ear  after  the  acceptance  of 
the  American  treaty.  The  conditions  granted  were 
similar,  and  the  same  advantages  w'ere,  of  course,  ex- 
tended by  the  Japanese  Government  to  the  Dutch. 
Thus  the  isolation  of  the  empire  from  intercourse 
with  the  civilized  world,  wdiich  had  lasted  two  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  years,  was  finally  given  up,  and  the 
long  quiet  of  Japan  was  broken. 

Mr.  Townsend  Harris,  who  was  first  appointed  Con- 
sul to  Simoda,  succeeded,  in  1858,  in  ne"otiatin(r  a 
commercial  treaty,  based  upon  that  already  made  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  China.  This  was  a grr  at 
advance  upon  the  concessions  obtained  bv  Commodore 
Peny,  through  the  exercise  of  the  greatest  patience 
and  prudence.  Fortunately,  no  troubles  had  arisen  in 
the  mean  time  ; the  ancient  Japanese  prejudice,  finding 
that  the  first  limited  intercourse  granted  to  foreimiers 
was  not  followed  by  any  unfavorable  effects,  yielded 


26 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


still  furtlier ; and,  as  in  the  first  instance,  England, 
Holland,  Russia,  and  France  followed  the  course  of 
the  American  representative.  By  this  new  treaty, 
Ivanagawa,  neai  \edo,  was  made  a port  for  ccimmer- 
cial  intei course,  and  the  ministers  of  foreign  nations 
were  permitted  to  reside  in  the  capital.  Mr.  Harris, 
who  had  meanwhile  been  appointed  Minister  Resident, 
removed  to  Yedo,  and  remained  there  during  the  sub- 
sequent political  conspiracies  which  had  for  their  object 
the  murder  of  the  foreign  residents,  or  their  expulsion 
from  Japan. 

The  fii-st  three  or  four  years  after  the  treaty  of  18.58 
were  a period  of  considerable  danger.  The  Tyccon 
had  been  murdered,  and  the  more  conservativ'e  of  the 
daimios,  or  native  princes,  were  determined  on  a 
return  to  the  old,  exclusive  policy  of  the  empire.  Mr. 
Harris’s  secrmary  was  murdered  in  the  streets  of 
Yedo,  the  British  Legation  was  attacked,  the  foreign 
residents  at  Kanagawa  were  in  constant  danger,  and 
nothing  but  the  firmness  with  which  redress  was 
demanded  prevented  the  work  already  accomplished 
from  being  undone.  When  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment finally  agreed  to  send  an  embassy  to  the  other 
powers,  the  change  was  virtually  accepted.  The  policy 
of  the  predominant  party  is  to  preserve  the  friendship 
of  other  governments,  and  employ  the  science  and 
skill  of  modern  times  in  developing  the  resources  of 
Japan.  Hundreds  of  intelligent  young  Japanese,  some 
of  them  belonging  to  the  best  families  of  the  empire, 
have  been  sent  to  the  United  States  to  be  educated ; 
the  commercial  relations  between  the  countries  are 
constantly  growing  more  extended  and  important,  and 


THE  OPENING  OF  JAPAN.  27 

former  restrictions  are  gradually  relaxing,  as  the  people 
become  familiar  with  the  new  order  of  things. 

No  oriental  race  shows  such  capacity  for  progress  as 
the  Japanese.  One  of  their  characteristics  is  a restless 
curiosity,  -which  assists  them  in  rapidly  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  science  and  the  mechanic  arts  ; and  the 
eagerness  which  the  government  now  exhibits  to  avail 
itself  of  all  modern  discoveries  is  all  the  more  remark- 
able, since  the  opportunity  was  so  long  and  so  stul>* 
bornly  resisted. 


CHAPTER  rV. 


AT.COCK  S ASCENT  OF  FUSI-YAMA, 


"^IIE  works  of  the  old  travellers,  upon  which,  only 


-L  twenty  years  ago,  we  were  obliged  to  depend  for 
our  chief  knowledge  of  Japan  and  the  Japanese,  are 
already  obsolete.  The  writings  of  Kiimpfer,  ^lontanus, 
Thunberg,  Titsingh,  and  more  recently  of  Von  Sie- 
bold,  contain  much  that  is  valuable,  and  also  much 
that  is  true  at  the  present  day  ; but  the  reader  always 
prefers,  if  possible,  to  see  a strange  country  through 
the  eyes  of  his  contemporaries.  Since  the  opening  of 
Japan  many  works  have  appeared,  in  addition  to  the 
multitudes  of  letters  which  have  been  sent  from  the 
country  to  the  principal  journals  of  America  and 
Europe.  Bv  far  the  most  careful  and  complete  is  that 
of  i\I.  Aim^  Humbert,  who  was  sent  as  ^linister  to 
Yedo  bv  the  Republic  of  Switzerland.  V^ery  interest- 
ing works,  of  a special  scientific  character,  have  been 
published  by  Fortune  and  Adams,  and  the  two  volumes 
of  Sir  Rutherford  Alcock  contain  many  particulars  of 
the  first  years  of  intercourse  which  are  not  found  else- 


We  propose  to  select  some  of  the  principal  episodes 
of  recent  travel  in  the  interior  of  Japan,  before  giving 
those  illustrations  of  Japanese  life,  laws,  and  manners, 
which  M.  Humbert  has  collected.  Sir  Rutherford 


I'USI-YAMA 


ALCO(.KS  ASCENT  OF  FUSI-YAMA. 


29 


Alcock’s  asct-i:t  of  the  great  extinct  volcano  of  Fusi- 
yama,  the  sacred  mountain  of  Ja[>an,  deserves  the 
first  notice.  Th  is  isolated  cone,  towering  high  above 
all  the  mountains  of  tlie  coast,  is  the  prominent  fea- 
ture of  the  scenerv  on  enterinji  the  bav  of  Yedo.  Its 
snowy  summit  first  catches  the  dawn,  and  it  flames  in 
the  sky  after  the  beautiful  green  slioi-es  of  the  bay  are 
dusky  in  twilight.  Tlie  journey  to  the  summit  is  a 
religious  pilgrimage  for  the  men  of  Japan  ; the  women 
accoi'dino;  to  a singular  custom,  onlv  beiim  allowed  to 
ascend  it  every  sixtieth  year. 

There  are  but  two  months  — July  and  August  — 
when  the  mountain  is  sufficiently  free  from  snow  to 
permit  the  ascent.  The  authorities  at  Yedo  made  so 
many  attempts  to  prevent  Sir  Rutherford  from  carry- 
ing out  his  design,  that  he  was  not  able  to  leave  before 
the  beginning  of  September,  I860.  The  journey  was 
not  absolutely  prohibited,  because  the  foreign  ministers 
at  Yedo  claimed  the  right  of  travelling  in  the  countrv  : 
but  every  possible  pretext  was  employed,  first  to  dis- 
courage and  then  to  delay  the  expedition,  — probably 
in  the  hope  that  an  early  snow-fall  might  render  the 
mountain  inaccessible.  After  every  plea  had  been  ex- 
hausted, the  Japanese  accepted  the  inevitable  wdth  a 
good  grace,  but  insisted  on  sending  a large  retinue  of 
native  officers  and  servants,  including  spies. 

The  party  consisted  of  eight  Europeans  and  nearly 
a hundred  Japanese,  with  thirty  horses.  For  the  first 
fiftv  miles  the  road  skirts  the  shore  of  the  bav,  crossing 
several  peninsulas.  As  far  as  the  town  of  Yosiwara, 
it  is  the  Tokaido^  or  great  high-road,  connecting  Yedo 
with  the  principal  cities  of  Nipon.  By  this  road  all 


30 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  southern  daimios,  or  princes,  annually  travel  to 
and  from  the  court,  generally  with  a retinue  of  several 
thousand  retainers.  Tliey  make,  each  day,  from  fif- 
teen to  twentv  miles,  haltino;  at  certain  towns  where 
there  are  large  houses  of  entertainment  built  especially 
to  accommodate  them  and  the  officers  of  the  Tycoon. 
These  houses  are  spacious,  clean,  and  empty ; the 
matti'-d  floor  supplies  at  once  a seat,  a couch,  and  a 
table.  Wadded  counterpanes,  and  even  mosquito  nets, 
can  generally  be  procured  by  the  travellers. 

“ Immediately  after  arrival,”  says  Sir  Rutherford, 
“ the  landlord  appears  in  full  costume,  and  prostrating 
himself  with  his  head  to  the  ground,  felicitates  himself 
on  the  honor  of  receivincr  so  distinguished  a guest,  begs 
to  receive  your  orders,  and  that  you  will  be  pleased  to 
accept  a humble  offering  at  his  hands,  — generally  a 
little  fruit,  a few  grapes  or  oranges,  occasionally  a rope 
of  eggs,  that  is  to  say,  a row  of  them,  curiously  twisted 
and  plaited  into  a fine  rope  of  straw.  Due  thanks 
having  been  given,  he  disappears,  and  you  see  no  more 
of  him  or  his  servants  — if,  as  usually  happens,  the 
guests  bring  their  own  and  do  not  require  help  — 
until  the  foot  is  in  the  stirrup ; when  he  makes  another 
formal  salutation,  with  parting  thanks  and  good  wishes. 
These  details  apply  to  the  whole  journey  ; the  house 
or  garden  may  be  a little  larger  or  smaller,  the  paper 
on  the  walls  which  divide  the  rooms  a little  fresher  or 
dingier,  but  all  the  essential  features  are  stereotyped, 
and  exactly  reproduced  from  one  end  of  the  kingdom 
to  the  other.” 

During  the  first  few  days  the  road  lay  over  a suc- 
cession ol  hills,  of  no  great  height,  but  from  which 


KNTRA.NCE  TO  A JAPANESE  TA'VERN. 


ALCOCK'S  ASCENT  OF  FUSl-YAMA. 


31 


fine  views  were  obtained  over  the  cultivated  valleys  on 
either  side,  with  a background  of  mountains  to  the 
westward,  ainoim  which  Fnsi-vama  soared  aloft  in 
lonely  grandeur.  On  the  second  day  the  river  Saki 
had  to  he  crossed.  Here  a body  of  strong  porters  is 
always  in  attendance,  to  carry  travellers  over  on  their 
shoulders.  As  they  have  a monopoly  of  the  business, 
it  must  he  lucrative  ; but  it  has  its  drawbacks,  for  they 
are  made  responsible  for  the  safety  of  travellers.  If 
any  accident  happens  to  the  latter,  they  have  nothing 
left  hut  to  drown  with  them,  for  no  excuses  are  taken. 
The  English  party  paid  about  four  dollars  for  the  trans- 
fer, wdnch  occu])ied  half  an  hour. 

As  this  was  the  first  foreign  trip  so  far  into  the  in- 
terior, it  occasioned  a great  excitement  in  all  the  towms 
along  the  road.  “ As  each  roadside  villajre,  and  even 
the  larger  towms,  generally  consist  of  one  long  and 
seemingly  endless  street,  the  news  of  our  approach 
spread  as  rapidly  and  unerringly  as  the  message  of  an 
electric  telegraph,  turning  out  the  whole  population  as 
if  by  a simultaneous  shock  ; men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren — clothed  and  nude,  — dogs,  poultry,  and  cats  I 
I think  at  Odowara  no  livincr  thing  could  have  been 
left  inside.  Such  a weaving  sea  of  heads  seemed  to  hai 
our  passage,  that  I began  to  congratulate  myself  that 
my  unknow'n  friend,  the  Daimio,  had  so  courteous).! 
provided  me  with  an  escort.  I felt  some  curiosity  as 
to  the  mode  they  would  take  to  open  a way  througn 
the  dense  mass  of  swaying  bodies  and  e.xcited  heads, 
which  looked  all  the  more  formidable  the  nearer  we 
approached.  My  guides,  however,  seemed  perfectly 
unembarrassed,  and  well  they  might  be,  — for  when 


32 


THAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


within  a few  steps  of  the  foremost  ranks,  there  was  a 
wave  of  the  fan  and  a sino-le  word  of  command  issued. 
‘ tShitanirio  ! ' (kneel  down  ! ) when,  as  if  by  magic, 
a wide  path  was  opened  and  every  liead  dropped  ; the 
body  disappearing  in  some  marvelous  way  behind  the 
less  and  knees  of  its  owner.’* 

After  striking  the  foot  of  the  Hakoni  mountains, 
which  rise  to  a heiglit  of  six  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  the  road  became  a broad  avenue  of  smooth  gravel, 
winding  through  a succession  of  fertile  plains  and  val- 
leys, where  the  millet,  buckwheat,  and  rice  gave  prom- 
ise of  rich  harvests.  The  famous  Hakoni  Passes  ex- 
tend for  a distance  of  twenty  miles,  and  are  so  rough 
as  to  be  nearly  impassable.  The  travellers  were 
obliged  to  dismount,  while  the  grooms  led  the  horses 
over  slippery  boulders,  and  up  the  channels  torn  by 
mountain  torrents.  Tlie  heights  w'ere  covered  with 
forests,  princi])ally  of  pine,  inclosing  fresh  green  val- 
leys, beautifully  cultivated,  and  watered  by  swift,  clear 
streams.  Here  the  cryptomeria.,  or  Japanese  cypress, 
grows  to  a height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  the 
hydrangea  is  a wild  shrub,  and  the  bamboo  is  found 
beside  the  oak  and  fir.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  size, 
beauty,  and  variety  of  the  vegetation. 

After  a long  ascent,  the  party  reached  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Yomotz,  where  there  are  hot  saline  springs, 
much  frequented  by  the  Japanese.  A further  journey 
of  four  hours  through  a furious  rain  brought  the  trav- 
ellers to  the  lake  and  village  of  Hakoni.  Here  there 
is  a government  bander,  strictly  guarded,  both  to  |)re- 
vent  arms  from  being  carried  toward  the  capital,  or 
any  wife  or  female  child  of  the  daimios  from  travel- 


ALCOCKS  ASCENT  OF  FUSl-YAMA. 


33 


line:  awav  from  it,  — the  latter  remainincr  as  liosta£ies 
while  the  princes  visit  their  territories.  Tlie  lake  of 
Hakoni,  which  is  a fine  sheet  of  water,  surrounded  by 
hills  — apparently  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano, — 
is  6,250  feet  above  the  sea. 

Beyond  this  lake  there  is  a second  barrier,  at  the 
highest  point  on  the  road,  which  then  descends  through 
a rich  and  populous  country  to  the  town  of  Missima, 
where  the  travellers  passed  the  night.  The  next  day 
brought  them  to  Yosiwara,  near  the  head  of  the  deep 
gulf  of  Idzu,  where  they  were  obliged  to  leave  the 
Tokaido^  or  high-road.  A furious  tempest  detained 
them  at  Yosiwara  for  a day,  during  which  time  a 
messenger  arrived  from  the  Superior  of  the  Buddhist 
monastery  at  Omio,  high  up  on  the  side  of  Fusi-yama, 
offering  the  hospitality  of  his  retreat.  The  next  af- 
ternoon, they  paid  a short  visit  of  ceremony,  reserving 
a longer  stay  for  the  return,  and  pushed  on  before 
night  to  Mouriyama,  the  highest  inhabited  spot  on  the 
mountain. 

By  this  time,  all  traces  of  the  storm  had  vanished. 
The  weather  was  pronounced  favorable  for  the  ascent 
by  the  Japanese,  and  the  party  started  at  daybreak, 
with  three  priests  as  guides  and  several  strong  moun- 
tain-men as  porters.  “■  At  first,”  says  Sir  Rutherford, 
“ our  way  lay  through  waving  fields  of  corn,  succeeded 
by  a belt  of  high,  rank  grass ; but  soon  we  entered  the 
mazes  of  the  wood,  which  clings  round  the  base  and 
creeps  high  up  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  clothing  the 
shouMers  of  the  towering  peak  like  the  shaggy  mane 
of  a lion,  with  increased  majesty.  At  first  we  found 
trees  of  large  growth,  — good  trunks  of  the  oak,  the 

3 


34 


FRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


pine,  and  tlie  beech,  — and  came  upon  many  traces  of 
the  fnry  witli  which  the  typlioon  had  swept  across. 
Large  trees  had  been  broken  sliort  off,  and  others 
uprooted.  One  of  these  broken  off  had  been  tlirown 
right  across  our  path,  and  compelled  us  either  to 
scramble  over  or  creep  under  its  massive  trunk.  At 
Hakimondo  we  left  the  horses,  and  the  last  trace  of 
permanent  habitation  or  the  haunts  of  men.  Soon 
after  the  wood  became  thinner  and  more  stunted  in 
growth,  while  the  beech  and  birch  took  the  place  of 
the  oak  and  pine. 

“ We  speedily  lost  all  traces  of  life,  vegetable  or 
animal ; a solitary  sparrow  or  two  alone  flitted  occa- 
sionally across  our  path.  In  the  winding  ascent  over 
the  rubble  and  scorias  of  the  mountain  — which  alone 
is  seen  after  ascending  about  half-way,  — little  huts  or 
caves,  as  these  resting-places  are  called,  partly  dug  out 
and  roofed  over  to  give  refuge  to  the  pilgrims,  ap- 
peared. There  are,  I think,  eleven  from  Hakimondo 
to  the  summit,  and  they  are  generally  about  a couple 
of  miles  asunder.  In  one  of  these  we  took  up  our 
quarters  for  the  night,  and  laid  down  our  rugs,  too 
tired  to  be  very  delicate.  Nevertheless,  the  cold  and 
the  occupants  we  found  former  pilgrims  had  left,  pre- 
cluded much  sleep.  Daylight  was  rather  a relief ; and 
after  a cup  of  hot  coffee  and  a biscuit,  we  commencerl 
the  upper  half  of  the  ascent.  The  first  part,  after  we 
left  the  horses,  had  occupied  about  four  hours’  steady 
work,  and  we  reached  our  sleeping-station  a little  be- 
fore sunset,  lava  and  scoriae  everywhere  around  us. 
The  clouds  were  sailing  far  below  our  feet,  and  a vast 
pf.norama  of  hill  and  plain,  bounded  by  the  sea. 


ALCOCK’S  ASCENT  OF  FUSI-YAMA. 


85 


stretched  far  away.  We  looked  down  on  the  si  mits 
of  the  Hakoni  ranoe,  being  evidently  far  abov  their 
level,  and  we  could  distinctly  see  the  lake  lying  ‘n  one 
of  the  hollows.  The  last  half  of  tlie  ascent  is  by  far 
the  most  arduous,  growing  more  steep  as  each  station 
is  passed. 

“ The  first  ravs  of  the  sun  just  touched,  with  a line 
of  light,  the  broad  waters  of  the  Pacific  as  they  wash 
the  coast,  when  we  made  our  start.  Tlie  first  station 
seemed  very  near,  and  was  reached  within  tlie  hour  ; 
but  each  step  now  became  more  difficult.  The  path, 
if  such  may  be  called  the  zigzag  whicli  our  guides 
took,  often  led  directly  over  fragments  of  out-jutting 
rocks,  while  the  loose  scorim  prevented  firm  footing, 
and  added  much  to  the  fatigue.  The  air  became 
more  rarefied,  and  perceptibly  affected  the  breathing. 
At  last  the  thi'-d  station  was  passed,  and  a strong  effort 
carried  us  to  the  fourth,  the  whole  party  by  this  time 
straggliiig  at  long  intervals.  This  was  now  the  last 
between  us  and  the  summit.  It  did  not  seem  so  far, 
until  a few  figures  on  the  edge  of  the  crater  furnished 
a means  of  measurement,  and  they  looked  painfully 
diminutive. 

“ The  last  stage,  more  rough  and  precipitous  than  all 
the  preceding,  had  this  fartlier  disadvantage,  that  it 
came  after  the  fatigue  of  all  the  others.  More  than 
an  hour’s  toil,  with  frequent  stoppages  for  breath  and 
rest  to  aching  legs  and  spine,  were  needed  ; and  more 
than  one  of  our  number  felt  very  near  the  end  of  his 
strength  before  the  last  step  jilaced  the  happy  pilgrim 
on  the  topmost  stone  and  enabled  him  to  look  down 
the  yawning  crater.  This  is  a great  oval  opening, 


36 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


with  jagged  lips,  estimated  by  Lieutenant  Robinson, 
with  such  means  of  measurement  as  he  could  command, 
at  about  one  thousand  yards  in  length,  with  a mean 
width  of  six  hundred,  and  is  probably  about  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  in  depth.  Looking  down  on  the 
other  side,  which  had  a northern  aspect,  there  seemed 
a total  absence  of  vegetation,  even  on  the  lower  levels, 
and  the  rich  country  we  had  left  was  completely  hid 
by  a canopy  of  clouds  drifting  far  below.  The  esti- 
mated height  of  the  edge  of  the  crater  above  the  level 
of  the  sea  was  13,997  feet ; and  the  hi<rhest  peak, 
14,177  feet. 

“ The  Japanese,  who  perform  this  jiilgrimage  from 
religious  motives,  are  generallv  dressed  in  white  sar- 
ments,  which  they  are  careful  to  liave  stamped  with  va- 
rious mystic  characters  and  idols’  images  by  the  bonzes 
located  there  during  the  season  for  that  purpose.  On 
the  sleeves  of  many  of  the  pilgrims  scallop-shells  ap- 
pear,— a strange  coincidence,  which  I have  never 
been  able  to  explain.  The  origin  of  the  pilgrimage  is 
traced  back  to  an  ancient  date,  when  a holy  man,  the 
founder  of  the  Sinto  religion  — the  oldest  in  Japan,  — 
took  up  his  residence  on  the  mountain.  Since  his 
death,  his  spirit  is  still  believed  to  have  influence  to 
bestow  health  and  various  other  blessino-s  on  those  who 
make  the  pilgrimage  in  honor  of  his  memory. 

“ The  volcano  has  long  been  extinct ; the  latest 
eruption  recorded  was  in  1707.  The  tradition  is  that 
the  mountain  itself  appeared  in  a single  night  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  a lake  of  equal  dimensions  mak- 
ing its  appearance  near  Miako  at  the  same  hour.  The 
time  actually  spent  in  climbing  up  to  the  summit  was 


CLIMBINli  THE  CONE  OF  FVSI-YAMA. 


^!*)  Tirff  W .- r-T  '*  ^ • ‘ «'■■♦*;< 
^ - -r-  .,-r',.,  ;.t:% 


“X 


✓ 

1 


■ * 


r 


V 


'Tf'  'f'’ 


ALCOCK'S  ASCEST  OF  FUSI-YAMA. 


37 


about  eirrlit  hours,  but  the  descent  occupied  little  more 
than  three.  We  slept  two  nights  on  the  mountain,  and 
had  crreatlv  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  the  weather, 
ha\nng  fallen  upon  the  only  two  fine  days  out  of  six. 
As  we  descended  on  the  last  morning  there  was  a 
thick  Scotch  mist,  which  soon  changed  into  a drench- 
ing rain.  We  only  found  patches  of  snow  here  and 
there  near  the  summit,  but  on  our  return  to  Yedo, 
three  weeks  later,  it  was  completely  covered.” 

On  their  return,  the  travellers  spent  the  night  at 
the  monastery  of  Omio,  where  they  were  treated 
with  the  greatest  hospitality,  the  monks  having  even 
attempted  to  furnish  seats  in  the  European  fashion,  by 
nailing  pieces  of  board  over  the  tops  of  small  tubs. 
The  next  day  they  retraced  their  road  as  far  as  the 
town  of  Missima,  after  fording  a river  so  swollen  by 
the  rains  as  to  be  very  dangerous.  Here  they  turned 
aside  from  the  main  highway,  in  order  to  visit  the 
mineral  springs  of  Atami,  on  the  shore  of  the  promon- 
tory of  Idzu.  The  country  was  very  beautiful,  diver- 
sified with  clumps  of  trees,  hedge-rows,  and  winding 
rivulets.  Nothing  could  be  richer  than  the  soil,  or  the 
variety  of  its  productions.  Snug-looking  hamlets  and 
homesteads  were  nestled  among  the  trees,  or  under  the 
hills,  and  here  and  there  were  park  walls,  or  splendid 
avenues  of  cryptomeria,  leading  to  the  residences  of 
the  native  princes.  The  people  had  a happy,  con- 
tented, and  prosperous  air,  quite  disproving  the  ac- 
counts of  the  oppression  and  exaction  imposed  upon 
them  by  their  local  rulers.  The  principal  crop  was 
rice,  but  there  were  also  many  fields  of  tobacco  and 
cotton,  arum  and  sweet  potato,  with  orchards  of  per- 


38 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


siminon  and  orange  trees.  In  passing  through  these 
mountain  districts,  the  travellers  frequently  came  upon 
groups  of  ])easantry,  collected  from  all  the  surrounding 
hamlets  for  the  purj)ose  of  seeing  the  strangers,  — per- 
haps the  greatest  novelty  of  their  lives.  They  sat 
upon  some  knoll,  or  small  hillock  by  the  roadside,  or 
kneeling  on  their  mats,  patiently  waiting  the  uncer- 
tain hour  when  the  foreigners  should  appear. 

In  the  afternoon  Atami  was  reached,  lying  in  a nar- 
row soro-e  close  to  the  shore,  with  the  steam  from  its 
hot  springs  rising  above  the  houses.  The  principal 
bathinw  establishment,  reserved  for  the  use  of  the 
daimios,  had  been  prepared  for  the  Minister’s  recep- 
tion, and  the  accommodations,  though  simple,  were 
found  to  be  A^ery  comfortable.  Atami  has  an  agricid- 
tural  and  fishing  population  of  only  about  1,400.  The 
people  cultivate  their  fields  of  rice  and  millet,  and  a 
few  vegetables  ; the  bay  provides  them  with  mackerel, 
lobsters,  and  various  kinds  of  fish  peculiar  to  the  coast. 
They  use  some  of  the  hot  springs  for  cooking,  the 
water  being  saline,  with  a very  slight  trace  of  sulphur. 
The  natives  make  use  of  the  baths  adjoining  the  spring, 
for  rheumatism  and  for  diseases  of  the  skin  and  eyes. 

Sir  Rutherford  Alcock  and  his  party  remained  foi 
three  Aveeks  in  this  isolated  region.  The  A’illagers  soon 
grcAV  accustomed  to  their  presence,  and  were  as  quiet 
and  inoffensive  as  they  could  have  desired.  But  they 
grew  Aveary,  at  least,  of  the  monotony  of  the  life,  and 
of  the  small  chance  afforded  them  in  so  remote  a cor- 
ner, of  learning  any  important  facts  concerning  the 
condition  of  the  people.  The  only  branch  of  manu- 
facture at  Atami  is  that  of  paper,  which  is  made  of  the 


ALCOCK’S  ASCENT  OF  FUSI-YAMA. 


39 


Lark  of  three  kinds  of  trees,  and  is  of  so  firm  a tex- 
ture that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  tear  it.  The  Jap- 
anese use  it  in  place  of  linen,  for  handkerchiefs  and 
other  domestic  purposes,  and,  when  oiled,  for  water- 
proof capes  and  cloaks. 

The  return  journey  from  Atami  to  Kanagawa,  near 
Yedo,  was  made  in  three  days,  without  any  adventure 
worth  noting.  The  trip,  however,  is  of  special  interest 
as  the  first  undertaken  by  a foreigner  since  the  opening 
of  Japan  to  intercourse  with  the  world. 


CHAPTER  V. 


ALCOCk’s  overland  journey  from  NAGASAKI  TO 
YEDO. 

IN  the  spring  of  1861,  returning  from  a visit  to 
Cliina,  Sir  Rutherford  Alcock,  on  reaching  Naga- 
saki, determined  to  make  the  journey  from  that  place 
overland  to  Yedo,  in  the  company  of  M.  de  Wit,  the 
‘Dutch  Minister.  The  English  consul  and  an  artist  also 
joined  the  party,  making  five  Euroi)eans.  The  Jap- 
anese officials  did  not  endeavor  to  prevent  them  from 
undertaking  the  journey,  which  had  previously  been 
made  every  four  yeai’s  by  the  Dutch  Governor  of  De- 
sima ; but  they  did  their  best,  although  in  vain,  to  re- 
tain the  old  charges  and  restrictions.  The  Dutch,  it 
seemed,  had  always  paid  <£4,000  as  the  expenses  of  the 
journey,  which  was  so  disproportioned  to  its  actual 
cost  that  the  two  ministers  determined  to  avoid  the 
extortion  by  paying,  themselves,  all  necessary  expenses 
as  they  went  along,  — which  amounted  in  the  end  to 
only  £500.  It  was  only  after  a great  deal  of  trouble 
and  delay  that  they  succeeded  in  carrying  their  point. 

The  party  finally  left  Nagasaki  on  the  first  of  June, 
attended  by  a long  retinue  of  yaconins^  or  guards, 
grooms,  interpreters,  and  servants.  The  rain  was  ])Our- 
ing  in  torrents,  and  the  commencement  of  the  journey 
was  as  uncomfortable  as  it  could  well  be.  After  leav- 


OVERLAND  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  41 


Inff  tlie  last  tea-lioiises  in  tlie  suburbs  of  the  city,  the 
fields  of  grain  and  rice  bordered  the  road,  the  former 
already  ripened,  while  men  and  women,  up  to  their 
knees  in  liquid  mud,  were  busy  in  planting  the  latter. 
Sweet  potatoes  grew  on  terraces,  suppoi'ted  by  walls 
built  along  the  faces  of  the  hills  ; the  hedges  were 
overrun  with  honeysuckles  and  azaleas,  while  the  pine, 
palm,  bamboo,  and  cryptomeria  grew  side  by  side. 
The  soil,  although  not  naturally  very  fertile,  was  made, 
by  careful  cidti ration,  to  yield  a large  return  for 
labor. 

The  island  of  Kiusin,  through  which  the  travellers 
journeyed  northward,  toward  the  Straits  of  Simono- 
seki,  which  separate  it  from  Ni])on,  is  one  of  the  three 
largest  Japanese  islands.  “ During  this  nine  davs’ 
journey,”  says  Sir  Rutherford,  “ there  was  a combina- 
tion of  every  kind  of  scenery.  Well-cultivated  val- 
leys, winding  among  the  hills,  were  graced  with  ter- 
races stretching  far  up  toward  their  summits,  wherever 
a scanty  soil  could  be  found  ov  carried,  with  a favorable 
aspect  for  the  crops.  We  traversed  some  wild-looking 
passes,  too,  where  hill  and  rock  seemed  tumbled  in 
chaotic  confusion  from  their  volcanic  beds.  Frequent 
glimpses  were  caught  of  the  sea-coast  and  bays,  from 
which  the  road  seldom  strays  very  far  inland.  Pretty 
hamlets  and  clumps  of  fine  trees  were  I’arely  wanting ; 
and  if  the  villages  looked  poor,  and  the  peasant’s  home 
(bare  of  furniture  at  all  times)  more  than  usually  void 
of  comfort,  yet  all  the  peo])le  looked  as  if  they  had  not 
only  a roof  to  cover  them,  but  rice  to  eat,  which  is 
more  than  can  always  be  said  of  our  populations  in 
Europe.  As  groups  of  women  and  children  crowded 


42 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


around  the  doors  of  the  cottages,  the  whole  interior  of 
wliicli  tlie  eye  could  easily  take  in  at  a glance,  it  would 
sometimes  appear  a problem  how  so  many  living  beings 
could  find  sleeping  room,  or  what  provision  there  could 
be  for  the  commonest  requirements  of  decency,  much 
less  comfort.  They  must  of  necessity  herd  tosether 
yery  much  like  cattle  ; but  neither  is  that,  unfortu- 
nately, peculiar  to  Japan. 

“ At  Urisino  in  the  morning,  and  Takeiwa  in  the 
eyening  of  the  third  day,  we  found  some  hot  sulphur 
baths.  The  first  we  yisited  was  open  to  the  street, 
with  merely  a shed  I’oof  to  shelter  the  bathers  from  the 
sun.  As  we  approached,  an  elderly  matron  stepped 
out  on  the  margin,  leaving  half  a dozen  of  the  other 
sex  behind  her  to  continue  their  soaking  process.  The 
freedom  of  the  lady  from  all  self-consciousness  or  em- 
barrassment was  perfect  of  its  kind.  The  springs  are 
close  to  the  bank  of  a river,  shaded  by  some  noble 
trees ; and  the  scene  is  both  lively  and  picturesque, 
with  groups  of  votaries,  nude  and  undraped,  crowding 
around  the  various  reservoirs,  and  enjoying  alternately 
the  medicinal  virtues  of  the  waters  and  the  cool  shade 
of  the  trees.” 

0.1  the  third  day  the  party  passed  a coal  mine,  be- 
longing to  the  Prince  of  Fizen.  It  lay  within  a hun- 
dred yards  of  the  main  road,  and  a cross  road  led 
directly  to  it,  but  the  way  was  stopped  by  a newly- 
erected  barrier  of  bamboo.  The  English  and  Dutch 
Ministers,  wishing  to  make  a nearer  inspection,  passed 
this  barrier,  in  spite  of  the  outcries  and  protestations 
of  the  guards,  wdio  made  every  effort  short  of  personal 
violence,  to  prevent  them.  There  was  simply  a hori- 


OVERLAND  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO  43 


zontal  shaft  into  the  side  of  the  hill,  with  some  heaps 
of  inferior  coal  about  its  mouth.  This  appears  to  be 
the  coal  which  is  brought  to  Nagasaki,  and  sold  to  for- 
eign steamers.  The  Prince  of  Fizen,  it  is  said,  ordered 
through  the  Dutch  a steam-engine  to  aid  in  the  better 
woi’king  of  his  mines  ; but,  after  it  arrived  and  was 
conveyed  to  the  spot,  he  changed  his  mind,  declaring 
that  it  would  take  tlie  bread  out  of  his  workmen’s 
mouths.  The  attempt  of  the  foreign  ministers  to  ex- 
amine the  mines,  was  reported  at  Yedo  afterwards, 
with  many  exaggerations,  and  made  the  subject  of  a 
comj)laint. 

“ On  our  way  to  Uzino,  on  the  seventh  day,”  says 
Sir  Rutherford,  “ we  passed  through  many  scenes 
worthy  of  the  artist’s  pencil  ; indeed,  the  number  of 
tempting  pictures  was  truly  tantalizing,  since  it  was 
clearly  impossible  to  take  even  the  slightest  sketch  of 
all.  A little  wayside  shrine,  embosomed  in  trees,  was 
approached  ovei'  a ravine,  across  which  nature  or  art 
had  flung  a great  boulder  of  granite.  The  scene,  with 
a group  of  Japanese  seated  in  the  foreground,  proved 
altogether  irresistible.  Again  as  we  descended  through 
a rocky  pass  into  the  valley  below,  and  caught  the  first 
glimpse  of  the  cultivated  fields  and  terraced  hills,  Avith 
another  range  of  mountains  towering  beyond,  pic- 
turesque Japanese  figures  filling  up  the  foreground,  it 
was  difficult  to  pass  and  take  no  note. 

“ On  the  eighth  day,  our  Avay  to  Koyonoski  lay 
chiefly  along  the  banks  of  a river,  on  a high  causeway 
raised  some  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water. 
We  passed  several  depots  of  coal,  evidently  placed 
there  for  embarkation,  in  some  large  flat-bottomed 


44 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


boats,  a novel  sight  on  the  sand-clioked  rivers  of  Japan, 
— certainly  in  Kiusiu,  where  boats  are  to  be  seen  only 
as  exceptions.  Kokura,  the  fortified  capital  of  the 
province  of  Bouzen,  and  one  of  the  keys  to  the  strait 
between  Kiusiu  and  Nipon,  we  reached  early  next 
morning,  fortunately,  for  the  sun  beat  hot  upon  our 
heads  and  shoulders  lono;  before  ten  o’clock.  The  roads 
were  sheets  of  mud,  and  in  places  all  but  impassable 
with  the  heavy  rains  that  had  recently  fallen  ; and, 
though  the  scetiery  was  as  beautiful  as  ever,  it  was 
difficult  under  such  conditions  to  enjoy  it.  Pleasant 
country  houses,  each  surrounded  by  its  garden  and 
clumps  of  trees  or  orchards,  line  the  road  which  leads 
to  the  provincial  capital,  for  more  than  a mile.  It  was 
holiday  time,  and  all  the  inhabitants  were  at  their  win- 
dow’s, dressed  in  their  best,  or  grouped  on  the  door- 
steps to  watch  the  cortege  pass. 

“ The  entrance  of  Kokura  is  by  a gateway,  guarded 
by  a considerable  force  of  armed  retainers.  The  walls 
were  high,  and  seemed  well  capable  of  defense  against 
anything  but  artillery.  After  a short  halt,  we  em- 
barked on  board  a junk,  in  the  state  cabin  of  which  we 
had  only  the  choice  of  squatting,  or  lying  down  be- 
tween the  ceiling  and  the  floor.  At  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Straits,  after  a tw’o  hours’  pull,  we  found  H.  M. 
S.  Ringdove  waiting  our  arrival,  and  we  left  the  shores 
of  Kiusiu,  not  sorry  to  have  ended  this  much  of  our 
journey ; for,  despite  all  the  attractions,  novelty,  and 
gi’eat  beauty  could  lend,  it  w’as  both  fiitiguing  and 
tedious.  Some  seven  or  eight  leagues  a day  on  miser- 
able ponies,  led  at  a snail’s  pace  over  indifferent  roads 
when  at  their  best,  and  at  this  season  often  little  better 


SIMONOSftKl 


OVERLAND  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  45 


than  a series  of  pitfalls,  was  rather  trying  to  the  pa- 
tience. We  had  traversed  the  territories  of  several 
daiinios  ; of  the  princes  of  Omonra,  Fizen,  Seconsin, 
and  Izen  ; and  from  all  I had  seen,  I drew  the  conclu- 
sion, that  although  the  fertility  of  the  soil  is  great,  and 
turned  to  the  best  account  by  a plentiful  su]>i)ly  of  the 
cheapest  labor,  yet  little  superfluity  is  left  to  those  who 
have  to  live  by  the  cultivation  of  the  land.” 

The  party  arrived  at  Simonosdki,  the  town  on  the 
Nipon  shore  of  the  strait,  on  the  ninth  day  after  leav- 
ing Nagasaki.  At  this  port  they  decided  to  embark 
for  Hiogo,  at  the  farther  end  of  the  Shionada,  or  In- 
land Sea,  instead  of  taking  the  rugged  land-route  along 
the  sea-coast,  which  it  would  have  required  nearly 
three  weeks  to  traverse.  The  distance  from  Simo- 
nosdki  to  Hiogo,  which  is  near  the  large  city  of  Osacca, 
is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  by  water. 

Simonos4ki  is  a town  of  about  ten  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, extending  in  one  straggling  street  for  a mile  and 
a half  along  the  shore.  The  dwellings  are  mostly  of 
wood,  but  the  warehouses  for  goods  are  covered  with 
a sort  of  white  cement,  or  stucco,  whicli  is  said  to  be 
fire-proof.  Sugar,  rice,  iron,  and  oil,  are  the  principal 
articles  which  are  exported  in  junks  to  other  parts  of 
Japan.  Among  the  curiosities  of  the  place  are  two 
swords,  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  Emperor  Taiko- 
sama,  and  an  ancient  temple,  in  which  there  is  a pic- 
ture, three  hundred  years  old,  representing  a famous 
sea-fight  of  one  of  the  Japanese  civil  wars. 

The  party  embarked  in  three  large  native  junks, 
which  were  taken  in  tow  by  the  British  steamer,  and 
were  carried  smoothly  and  slowly  along  through  the 


46 


TRAVELS  ly  JAP  Ay. 


Inland  Sea,  lying  at  anchor  every  night.  The  shores 
of  the  surrounding  islands  are  so  lofty,  that  the  water, 
protected  from  the  severe  storms  and  swells  of  the  Pa- 
cific, resembles  rather  that  of  an  inland  lake.  The  vil- 
lages along  the  shores  are  mostly  poor  hshing  hamlets, 
with  a barren  country  around  them.  The  scenery  of 
the  voyage,  nevertheless,  from  the  height  and  variety 
of  form  of  the  mountain  isles,  is  very  beautiful. 

At  noon  on  the  fourth  day,  the  junks  arrived  at 
Hiogo,  which  is  a town  of  about  twenty  thousands  in- 
habitants, pleasantly  situated  along  the  edge  of  a sandy 
shore,  with  a range  of  wooded  hills  and  mountains  ris- 
ing with  a gentle  slope  behind.  It  is  the  shipping  port 
of  the  great  city  of  Osacca,  which  lies  upon  a river, 
some  thirty  miles  inland.  The  harbor  of  Hiogo  (or 
of  Osacca,  as  it  is  sometimes  called)  is  one  of  the  best 
in  Japan,  hence  the  opening  of  this  port  to  foreign 
commerce,  with  the  condition  of  free  access  to  the 
greater  city,  was  a very  important  concession.  Never- 
theless, on  this  first  visit,  the  shops  were  closed  and  the 
streets  deserted,  until  the  protestations  of  the  ministers 
forced  the  Japanese  officials  to  remove  the  restriction. 

At  Hiogo,  other  difficulties  awaited  the  party.  One 
of  the  Governors  of  Foreign  Affairs  had  been  sent 
from  Yedo  expi'essly  to  dissuade  the  ministers  from 
continuing  their  journey  by  land.  He  declared  that 
the  country  was  in  a disturbed  state ; that  lonins,  or 
bravos,  were  known  to  be  ranging  abroad,  and  that 
there  was  a temporary  trouble  between  the  Tycoon 
?ind  the  IMikado.  It  seemed  to  the  ministers,  however, 
that  the  main  object  of  the  mission  was  to  prevent 
them  from  going  to  Miako,  the  capital  of  the  Mikado, 


SKTRANCE  to  TlfE  IIARROH  OF  HIOOO 


OVERLAND  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  47 


and  the  ancient  capital  of  Japan  ; for,  wlien  they  had 
offered  to  give  up  tin's  part  of  their  plan,  no  serious 
objection  was  made  to  the  overland  journey  to  Yedo. 
From  the  attacks  which  were  made  on  the  foreign 
legations,  shortly  afterwards,  it  is  possible  that  the 
ministers  actually  incurred  a greater  danger  tiian  they 
suspected  at  the  time. 

The  distance  from  Hiogo  to  Osacca  by  land  is  about 
thirty  miles.  Nearly  the  whole  way  lies  through  the 
slopes  and  valleys  intervening  between  the  sea  and  the 
mountain  range,  trending  inland.  There  are  a great 
many  rivers  to  be  crossed  ; some  ov'er  plank  britlges 
almost  too  fragile  for  horses ; others  in  boats,  ar.  1 
others  must  be  forded.  The  plain,  which  is  sandy,  is 
devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  grain,  cotton,  and  l>eans. 
The  city  of  Osacca  is  first  seen  at  the  distance  of  a 
league,  with  the  Tycoon’s  castle  on  a wooded  emi- 
nence, commanding  a view  of  the  river.  This  is  the 
ancient  temple  which  Nobu  Nanga  took  from  the 
Buddhists,  and  which  became  the  residence  of  Tai- 
kosama’s  son  during  the  reign  of  Ivevas.  Sir  Ruther- 
ford  Alcock  gives  the  following  description  of  his 
arrival  at  Osacca  : — 

“ We  were  nearly  an  hour  in  traversing  the  sub- 
urbs of  this  vast  city,  before  we  seemed  to  gain  the 
great  thoroughfare,  filled  to  oveidlowing  with  an  im- 
mense, but  very  orderly  crowd.  There  was  pushing 
and  squeezing,  and  from  time  to  time  a desperate  de- 
scent was  made  by  the  police  on  some  luckless  wights 
in  the  front  rank.  Blows  on  the  bare  head  were 
dealt  furiously  on  all ; but  the  weapon  was  a fan,  and 
although  in  their  hands  a very  effective  one,  it  could 


48 


TRA  VELS  IX  JAPAN. 


hardly  do  much  mischief.  We  came  at  last  to  the 
main  river,  spanned  by  a bridge  three  hundred  }’ards 
long,  well  anl  solidly  built,  below  which  there  is  an 
island,  covered  with  houses,  in  the  midst  of  the  stream, 
something  like  the  island  of  St.  Louis  in  the  Seine. 
Not  a trace  of  hostile  feeling  was  to  be  seen  anywhere, 
though  the  curiosity  was  great  to  see  the  foreign  min- 
isters. Hei'e,  indeed,  as  might  be  noticed  at  a glance, 
was  a vast  population,  with  whom  trade  was  the  chief 
occupation  ; and  at  every  step  evidences  of  the  greatest 
activity  were  visible.  Piled  up  near  the  bridge  I 
noticed  glazed  tiles  for  drains,  and  large  earthen  jars 
tor  coffins  — the  Japanese  being  buried  as  he  lives, 
with  his  heels  tucked  up  under  him  in  a sitting  pos- 
ture,— an  arrangement  which  has  at  least  the  advan- 
tage of  saving  space  in  the  cemeteries,  still  further 
economized  by  burning  the  bodies  of  the  poorer  classes, 
and  merely  burying  their  ashes  in  a jar  of  small 
dimensions.  The  Japanese  have  some  strange  super- 
stitioiAs  about  either  sleeping  or  being  buried  with  the 
head  to  the  north.  In  every  sleeping-room  at  the 
resting-places,  we  found  the  points  of  the  compass 
marked  on  the  ceiling ; and  my  Japanese  servant 
would  on  no  account  let  my  bed  be  made  up  in  any 
but  the  right  direction.” 

The  travellers  were  lodged  in  a large  temple,  with 
some  pretensions  to  architectural  beauty.  The  first 
day  they  devoted  to  shopping  and  the  theatre,  reserv- 
ing a second  day  to  be  spent  in  traversing  the  city  by 
water,  as  in  Venice — by  means  of  the  river-arms 
which  divide  it,  — and  in  visiting  the  larger  temples 
and  the  Tycoon’s  castle.  They  visited  some  silk  shops 


OVERLAID  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  49 


so  lar<ie  that  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  attendants  were 
constantly  employed.  Bronzes  were  also  very  beauti- 
ful and  cheap  ; but  lacquer-ware  was  astonishingly  dear, 
and  from  forty  to  fifty  dollars  apiece  were  demanded 
for  small,  ugly,  pug-nosed,  goggle-eyed  dogs.  By  slip- 
ping away  from  their  Japanese  attendants,  the  travel- 
lers succeeded  in  obtaininjr  some  verv  rare  and  beauti- 
fnl  specimens  of  porcelain.  As  soon  as  the  attendants 
rejoined  tlnun,  the  price  of  every  article  immediately 
advanced  fifty  jier  cent. 

The  day  devoted  to  the  exploration  of  the  citv  by 
water  was  one  of  great  interest.  There  are  thirteen 
rivers  and  canals,  and  at  least  a hundred  bridges,  many 
of  them  of  enormous  width  and  costlv  structure,  span 
these  streams  in  all  directions.  The  banks  of  the  main 
river  are  lined  for  two  or  three  miles  with  the  resi- 
dences of  daimios,  with  broad  flights  of  granite  .steps 
descending  to  the  water’s  edge.  Thousands  of  boats, 
filled  with  merchandise  or  ])assengers,  (covered  the 
broad  suH'ace  of  the  waters  ; and  everv  bn’dge  was 
crowded  to  an  alarming  extent  by  the  population,  eager 
to  see  the  foreigners.  Later  in  the  day  the  latter  made 
an  effort  to  visit  some  of  the  older  and  more  celebrated 
temples  ; but  they  were  foiled  by  the  cunning  of  the 
Japanese  attendants,  who,  after  dragging  them  about 
for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  hot  sun,  took  them  finally  to 
some  ridned  walls.  In  the  same  manner  they  were 
preveHtf'd  from  seeing  the  Tycoon’s  castle.  The 
friendly  and  confiding  manner  of  the  inhabitants  to- 
ward  them  contrasted  strongly  with  the  jealousy  and 
meddlesome  inteiderence  of  the  officials,  and  they  were 
satisfied  that  the  opposition  to  intercourse  with  foreign- 
4 


50 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


ers  in  Japan  is  not  founded  on  anything  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  people. 

Leaving  for  Yedo  on  the  19th  of  June,  they  passed 
many  large  villages  on  the  plain  around  Osacca.  The 
population,  for  the  first  time  during  the  journey,  was 
noisy  and  troublesome,  crying  out,  “ Chinese  huck- 
sters ! ” as  they  passed  tlu'ough,  — but  there  was  good 
reason  for  suspicion  that  the  officers  of  the  escort,  who 
had  meaiit  to  stay  another  day  in  the  city,  had  com- 
manded this  reception,  as  a piece  of  spite.  Beyond 
the  plain,  there  is  a mountain  range,  about  four  thou- 
sand feet  in  height,  which  the  road  crosses  into  a beau- 
tiful valley  beyond.  Here  the  unfriendly  manifesta- 
tions ceased : the  Tokaido,  or  high  road,  had  been 
swept  clean  for  the  passage  of  some  native  princes, 
and  small  boys,  with  brooms,  ran  along  in  advance 
of  the  foreign  ministers,  shouting,  “ Down  on  your 
knees ! ” to  all  the  natives  they  met. 

On  the  third  day  the  road  entered  a very  picturesque 
country.  “ We  rode  through  defiles  of  mountains, 
amidst  a very  chaos  of  hills  and  ravines,  the  former 
tumbled  wildly  together,  looking  like  a troubled  sea  of 
billows  suddenly  petrified.  It  must  have  been  the 
theatre  of  some  long  extinct  volcanic  action  ; for  miles, 
l.alf-filled  craters  were  the  leading  feature.  This  was 
the  circuitous  route  adopted,  in  order  to  leave  Miako  to 
the  left,  compelling  us  to  take  a cross-road  only  some 
five  or  six  feet  in  width,  winding  around  the  bases  of 
the  hills.” 

The  Japanese  officials  accompanying  the  party  in 
sisted  on  haltino;  for  the  niMit  at  a little  village  named 
Saki,  instead  of  the  larger  town  of  Nieno,  which  had 


DAIMIOS. 


! '**  ^ - 1-r 


*j.'  ?i^iij>  — .-  ' "'U 


* iW^< 


- ^ 


t,-.i:n:r  n 


■.  , / . , •rU.  ^4ll-^"  ■*  ■ >^‘l  '*»  £}  » 


*y-'^, -iif' W'^Nirv.f'- 

N-i. 


- U-  V - ., 

* -=■ , ■ 


OVERLAND  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  61 


been  selected  in  advance  as  the  resting-place.  Tliej 
asserted  that  the  houses  for  travellers  were  undergoing 
repair,  and  the  change  of  programme  was  accompanied 
with  so  much  inconvenience  to  themselves,  that  the 
ministers  finally  agreed  to  it.  But,  on  reaching  Nieno, 
the  following  morning,  they  were  surprised  to  find  it  a 
stately,  well-built  place,  the  houses  all  in  perfect  order, 
but  every  door  and  window  hermetically  closed,  and 
not  a living  face  to  be  seen.  Even  the  residence  of 
the  Daimio  — the  same  Toda-Idzu-no-Kami,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  commissioners  to  meet  Commodore 
Perry  at  Gori-hama  in  1853  — was  masked  by  screens 
of  cotton  cloth.  It  was,  Oif  course,  impossible  to  obtain 
from  the  Japanese  any  e.xplanation  of  this  extraoi*- 
diiiarv  proceeding  ; but  it  must  be  attributed  to  an 
assertion  of  defiant  independence  of  the  Tycoon’s  au- 
thority, on  the  part  of  the  Prince  of  Idzu.  This  dis- 
position. on  the  ]>art  of  those  princes  who  are  hostile 
to  foreign  intercourse,  to  disregard  the  treaties  made 
by  the  government,  has  since  been  more  strikingly 
illustrated  in  the  case  of  the  Prince  of  Satsuma,  and 
the  punishment  which  he  received  from  the  English 
forces  in  consequence. 

“■  Our  way  lay  for  many  days,”  the  author  continues, 
“ through  mountain  scenery  and  fertile  valleys,  the  hills 
generally  clothed  to  the  very  summit  with  trees,  chiefly 
of  the  pine  fiimily.  The  same  sandy  character  of  the 
soil,  and  the  formation  of  the  hills  already  noticed,  con- 
tinued until  we  approached  within  sight  of  Fusi-yama, 
when  it  was  exchanged  for  the  dark  rich  mould  which 
alone  is  to  be  seen  within  a hundred  miles  of  Yedo. 
On  the  fourth  day  we  had  struck  into  the  ordinary 


52 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


route,  and  had  the  advantage  of  the  fine  san<ied  roads 
and  park-like  avenues  of  the  Tokaido.  And  now  each 
day  we  met  one  or  more  corteges  of  daimios  coming 
from  the  capital.  As  a general  rule  we  had  nothing  to 
complain  of;  if  some  of  the  principal  officers  and  armed 
retainers  scowled  at  us,  and  seemed  to  think  our  pres- 
ence on  the  high  roads  an  offense,  the  greater  numher 
passed  on  their  way,  as  we  did  on  ours,  without  any 
manifestation  of  feeling  or  opinion.  In  one  case  only, 
I was  amused  by  a somewhat  characteristic  trait.  Mr. 
De  Wit  and  I were  riding  abreast  and  without  anv  es- 
cort,  having  left  them  far  behind,  when,  seeing  a rather 
large  cortege  filling  up  the  road  as  we  turned  an  angle, 
we  drew  to  one  side  and  went  in  single  file.  Xo  sooner 
did  the  leading  officer  observe  the  movement  than  he 
instantly  began  to  swagger,  and  motioned  all  the  train 
to  spread  themselves  over  the  whole  road  ; so  that  all 
we  gained  by  our  consideration  and  courtesy  was  to  run 
the  risk  of  being  pushed  into  the  ditch  by  an  insolent 
subordinate.  Thus  it  is  ever  in  the  Eart.  To  yield 
the  wall  is  a sign  of  weakness ; to  ^■ield  to  anvthing 
spontaneously,  is  to  provoke  oppression  ; and  they  who, 
from  courtesy,  step  aside,  are  fortunate  if  they  do  not 
get  trampled  down  for  cowards  and  fools. 

“ As  we  advanced  through  the  country,  both  men 
and  women  were  busily  employed  in  planting  out  their 
rice.  This  was  the  first  time  I had  seen  any  but  iso- 
lated cases  of  women  being  engaged  in  field  labor  in 
Japan  ; for  the  Japanese  appear  to  me  to  be  honorably 
distinguished  among  nations  of  a higher  civilization,  in 
that  they  leave  their  women  to  the  lighter  work  of  the 
house,  and  perform  themselves  the  harder  out-door 


OVERLAND  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  53 


labor.  Indeed,  I was  at  first  in  some  donbt  here,  for 
it  was  by  no  means  easy  to  distinguish  tlie  women 
from  the  men  at  a little  distance.  To  guard  the  legs 
probably  from  leeches,  as  they  paddled  in  tlie  mud, 
they  all  wore  gaiters  up  to  the  knees  and  short  cotton 
trousers.  When  the  neck  was  covered,  there  was  no 
very  distinguishing  difference  between  the  sexes,  as 
the  men  never  have  any  hair  about  the  face.  The 
wheat  in  Japan  never  api)ears  to  be  sown  broadcast. 
All  that  I have  seen  has  been  drilled  and  planted  in 
rows,  much  as  the  rice  is,  a few  stalks  togetlier.  Labor 
is  cheap,  and  it  is  to  be  presumed  they  find  this  the 
more  profitable  way. 

“ As  we  approached  Mia,  on  the  bay  of  Owari,  we 
passed  another  great  castle.  And  yet  tliis  term  is 
very  likely,  I fear,  to  mislead  the  reader.  What  con- 
stitutes a daimio’s  castle,  then,  in  Japan,  is  first  a 
moat  surrounded  bv  a wall,  generally  built  of  mud 
intersected  with  layers  of  tiles,  and  plastered  over  ; 
sometimes  with  parapets,  and  loopholed  for  musketry ; 
a large  gateway,  with  massive  overhanging  roof;  a 
straggling  group  of  ignoble-looking  lath  and  plaster 
houses  inside,  rarely  more  than  one  story  high,  and 
sometimes,  if  the  owner  is  a daimio  of  very  great  j)re- 
tensions,  his  walls  will  be  flanked  with  turrets.  In  his 
grounds,  something  like  a two  or  three  storied  pagoda 
wdll  rise  above  the  dead  level  of  the  other  roofs,  and 
look  picturesque  through  the  clumps  of  fine  timber, 
with  which  the  grounds  of  the  owmers  are  always 
graced,  whatever  else  may  be  w'anting.” 

The  travellers  were  six  hours  in  crossing  the  bay  of 
Owari.  to  reach  Mia.  where  <^he  Tokaido  recommences. 


54 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


on  tlie  ojiposite  side,  the  distance  being  about  twenty 
miles.  From  this  place  to  the  next  large  town  of  Oca- 
saki,  the  road  led  through  a beautiful  open  country, 
with  mountains  on  the  horizon.  Villages  and  towns 
follow  in  quick  succession  ; and  rarely  at  a greater 
interval  than  one  or  two  leagues  at  farthest,  along 
the  whole  route  from  Nagasaki  to  Yedo.  At  a place 
( ailed  Aral,  there  was  another  bay  to  cross,  a distance 
of  about  three  miles  ; but  a broad  canal,  for  the  pas- 
sage of  boats,  was  cut  through  the  shallows  and  sand 
bars. 

More  than  half  the  distance  between  Osacca  and 
Yedo  had  now  been  traversed,  and  the  annoying  inter- 
ference of  the  Japanese  authorities  began  to  diminish. 
Immediately  after  leaving  Hamamatz,  the  half-way 
town,  the  travellers  were  obliged  to  make  their  way 
across  a plain,  traversed  in  all  directions  by  floods  and 
water-courses,  swelled  by  the  rains,  which  had  broken 
tlie  bridges  and  damaged  all  the  roads.  One  of  the 
villages  through  which  they  passed  was  devoted  en- 
tirely to  the  plaiting  of  straw-shoes.  At  another  place, 
called  Cakengawa,  the  people  are  celebrated  for  weav- 
ing a kind  of  linen  from  the  bark  of  a creeper.  Rain 
coats  are  made  of  the  same  bark,  unwoven,  and  only 
slightly  ])laited,  and  they  are  highly  esteemed  as  both 
light  and  impervious. 

After  crossing  another  high  range  of  mountains,  with 
very  wild  and  grand  scenery,  the  road  descended  to 
the  river  Oigawa,  which  was  so  swollen  by  rain  that 
the  party  was  obliged  to  wait  until  the  next  morning 
before  they  were  able  to  cross.  The  ministers  were 
carried  across  in  the  norimom.,  or  native  palanquins 


OVERLAND  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  55 


of  Japan,  carried  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  ferrymen. 
The  poorer  natives,  men  and  women,  bestride  the  lat- 
ters’  slioulders,  holding  their  garments  up  to  the  waist 
■while  crossing  the  deeper  parts. 

From  the  banks  of  this  river  the  first  view  of  Fusi- 
yama,  on  this  journey,  was  obtained.  This  was  a wel- 
come proof  to  the  weary  travellers  that  the  journey 
was  drawing  to  an  end  ; and  here,  in  fact.  Sir  Ruther- 
ford Alcock’s  journey  terminates.  Tliere  were  still 
three  days  of  travel  before  reaching  the  old  road  to 
the  capital,  taken  on  making  tlie  trip  to  the  summit  of 
Fusi-yama,  the  previous  year,  and  the  great  Ilakoni 
range  was  to  be  crossed ; but  all  was  safely  accom- 
plished, and  on  the  thirty-second  day  after  leaving  Na- 
gasaki, the  party  reached  the  small  foreign  settlement 
at  Kanagawa. 

Sir  Rutherford  Alcpck  returned  to  the  British  Lega- 
tion at  Yedo  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  on  the  night  of 
the  oth  the  murderous  attack  was  made,  in  which  Mr. 
Oliphant,  the  Secretary  of  Legation,  and  iMr.  Mor- 
rison, British  Consul  at  Nagasaki,  were  severely 
wounded.  The  Japanese  guard  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  persons  was  conveniently  absent  or  asleep,  and 
the  escape  of  all  the  foreigners  from  a bloody  death 
could  only  be  attributed  to  tlie  haste  or  confusion  of 
the  assassins.  Tlie  attack  was  traced  to  the  hostility 
of  one  of  the  native  princes,  and  the  murder  of  Mi*. 
Huesken,  Interpreter  of  the  American  Legation,  in 
the  streets  of  Yedo,  five  months  previously,  must  be 
ascribed  to  the  same  source. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


M.  HUMHEKT’s  voyage  from  NAGASAKI  TO  1 EDO. 


AIMfi  HUMBERT,  appointed  by  the  Swiss 


• Government  in  1862  an  Envoy  Extraordinary 
for  the  purpose  of  making  a commercial  treaty  with 
Japan,  remained  some  years  in  tlie  latter  country,  and 
employed  his  leisure  time  to  excellent  purpose  in  study- 
ing the  history,  the  laws,  manners  and  customs  of  the 
Japanese.  His  work,  published  in  1870,  in  two  large 
quarto  volumes,  with  nearly  five  hundred  admirable 
illustrations,  mostly  from  photographs  taken  on  the 
spot,  is  much  the  most  careful  and  thoi'ough  which  has 
yet  appeared.  His  travels  in  the  interior  were  limited, 
it  is  true,  by  political  distiirbances ; but  his  chief  point 
of  observation  was  Yedo,  where  the  natives  of  all  parts 
of  the  empire  may  be  studied,  nearly  as  well  as  in  their 
separate  provinces,  and  where  all  the  peculiar  customs 
of  the  race  are  displayed  on  the  largest  scale. 

Reaching  Nagasaki  in  April,  1863,  M.  Humbert 
was  hospitably  received  by  the  Dutch  agent,  M.  de 
Wit,  and  took  up  his  residence,  temporarily,  on  the 
island  of  Desima.  He  found  that  the  Japanese  city 
of  Nagasaki  was  now  entirely  free  to  Europeans,  who 
were  permitted  to  wander  through  its  streets  at  their 
pleasure.  He  was  charmed  with  the  situation  of  the 
town,  and  the  beauty  of  its  environs.  The  native 


VOYAGE  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YE  DO. 


57 


place  contains,  at  present,  about  eiglity  tbousand  inhab- 
itants. The  houses  are  all  built  of  wood,  but  there  is 
a staircase  of  granite  connecting  the  lower  city  with 
the  u])per,  and  a massive  stone  bridge  across  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  mountain  torrents  which  divide  the  streets. 
Preparations  were  already  made  for  the  construction 
of  a foreign  quarter  ui)on  the  mainland,  o])posite  the 
island  of  Desima,  which  is  much  too  small  for  the 
necessities  of  the  commerce  of  all  nations. 

After  a stay  of  twelve  days,  M.  Humbert  took  pas- 
sage r>n  the  Dutch  fi-igate  Koopman  for  the  Bay  of 
Yedo,  by  way  of  the  Suonada,  or  Inner  Sea.  Tlie 
course  was  at  first  westward,  making  for  the  Strait  of 
Specx,  between  Firando  and  Kiusiu.  The  mountain- 
ous coasts  of  the  latter  island,  like  rocky  fortresses,  de- 
fended by  lines  of  breakers,  give  no  indication  of  the 
fertility  of  the  interior.  Barren  and  uniidiabited,  they 
seem  to  repel  all  who  would  dare  to  land  upon  them. 
The  currents  on  this  part  of  the  coast  are  so  strong  and 
uncertain,  that  the  frigate  was  compelled  to  anchor  for 
the  night  among  a crowd  of  Japanese  junks,  under  the 
lee  of  Firando. 

The  ne.xt  day,  the  western  coast  of  Kiusiu  was 
thronged  with  quantities  of  fishing-boats  and  coasting 
junks.  There  are  good  harbors  and  large  maritime 
towns  on  this  part  of  the  island.  The  rocks  which 
stud  the  shores  are  the  resorts  of  immense  numbers  of 
wild  geese  and  ducks,  which  the  Japanese  have  not 
yet  learned  to  eat.  Domestic  fowls,  however,  are 
plentiful  everywhere,  and  the  common  people  will 
always  give  a hen  in  exchange  for  an  empty  bottle. 
In  the  markets  of  Yedo,  the  latter  article  is  always  in 


58 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


demand,  and,  curiously  enough,  a double  price  is  will- 
ingly  paid  for  a bottle  which  has  a brilliant  label,  nc 
matter  of  what  kind. 

The  frigate  anchored,  the  second  evening,  in  the 
Straits  of  Van  der  Ca|)ellen,  in  front  of  the  town  of 
Simonosdki.  The  water,  next  morning,  was  covered 
with  native  boats,  filled  with  fishermen,  traders,  or  the 
families  of  I’espectable  citizens,  eager  for  a nearer  view 
of  the  strange  vessel.  But,  after  a visit  from  some  of 
the  authorities,  the  voyage  was  resumed.  The  day, 
however,  was  foggy,  and  the  Japanese  pilots  on  board 
kept  the  centre  of  the  strait  until  they  reached  the 
broader  waters  of  the  Inner  Sea.  When  the  weather 
became  clear,  the  multitude  of  islands  always  in  sight, 
with  their  constantly  changing  forms,  gave  a new 
interest  to  the  vovasce.  Some  were  arid,  of  a brown 
or  black  tint,  shooting  up  like  cones,  pyramids,  or  jag- 
ged fangs,  out  of  the  water  ; others  were  fertile,  their 
sides  laboriously  wrought  into  terraces  for  grain  and 
vegetables,  with  little  villages  of  farmers  and  fishermen 
in  the  sheltered  coves. 

In  entering  the  basin  of  Bingo,  the  lai'ge  town  of 
Imabari,  on  the  coast  of  the  island  of  Sikok,  came  into 
view.  On  a sandy  bar,  stretching  from  one  of  the 
suburbs,  there  appeared  to  be  a grand  fair,  or  market, 
judging  from  the  crowds  of  people.  Beyond  the  town 
were  fertile  plains,  swelling  into  hills  in  the  distance, 
where  mountain-peaks,  from  three  to  five  thousand  feet 
in  height,  closed  the  view.  Around  Imabari,  there 
were  some  low  battei’ies,  from  which  flags  were  flying , 
groups  of  soldiers  stood  upon  the  ramparts.  Shortly 
afterwards,  a large  Japanese  steamer  passed  the  fngate. 


VOYAGE  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO.  59 


The  pilots  declared  that  it  belonged  to  the  Prince  of 
Tosa,  one  of  the  eighteen  Chief  Daimios  of  the  em- 
pire, whose  possessions,  in  the  southern  part  of  Sikok, 
yield  him  an  annual  revenue  of  -$750, 000.  He  was 
pei’haps  returning  home  from  a conference  of  the 
“ feudal  party,”  making  convenient  use  of  the  very 
improvements  which  he  was  endeavoring  to  banish 
from  Japan  ! 

Tlie  second  night  after  leaving  Simonoseki,  was 
passed  in  one  of  those  broader  basins  of  the  Inner  Sea, 
called  the  Arimanada.  It  is  almost  completely  closed, 
on  tlie  east,  by  the  large  island  of  Awadsi,  whicli  shuts 
out  the  ocean  for  a space  of  thirty  miles,  between 
Sikok  and  Nipon.  This  island  was  the  fabled  residence 
of  the  earlier  gods,  the  cradle  of  the  national  my- 
thology of  the  Japanese.  The  lowlands  at  its  north 
ern  extremity  are  covered  with  a superb  vegetation  > 
toward  the  south  it  rises  gradually  into  hills,  still  beau- 
tifully cultivated,  and  is  finally  crowned  by  a moun- 
tain range. 

The  steamers  which  ti’averse  the  Inner  Sea,  gen- 
erally take  the  northern  passage,  between  Awadsi  and 
Nipon,  partly  in  order  to  touch  at  Hiogo,  and  partly 
because  the  southern  passage,  between  Awadsi  and 
Sikok,  is  considered  dangerous  for  ves.sels  of  deep 
draught.  The  captain  of  the  frigate,  nevertheless,  de- 
termined to  try  the  latter.  Leaving  Awadsi  on  the 
If  ft,  he  steered  down  the  narrowing  strait,  betfveen 
finely  cultivated  shores,  bordered  with  rocky  islets, 
crowned  with  pine-trees.  The  water  in  front  presented 
the  appearance  of  a bar  of  breakers  ; yet  the  weather 
was  calm,  and  the  open  ocean,  in  the  distance,  did  not 


60 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


show  a speck  of  foam.  It  was  evident  that  the  agita- 
tion of  the  water  was  occasioned  solely  by  the  violence 
of  conflicting  cniTcnts.  Millions  of  sea-birds  filled  the 
air,  drifting  around  the  rocks  like  clouds,  or  dashing 
down  to  the  sea  with  continual  cries.  There  were 
many  fishing-boats  in  the  calmer  channels  between  the 
islands,  or  the  coves  of  the  shores,  but  none  of  them 
ventured  into  the  raging  flood  which  filled  the  strait. 
The  breadth  of  the  main  channel  was  estimated  at 
eight  hundred  yards,  with  a length  of  nearly  two 
miles. 

After  passing  safely  through,  the  frigate  entered  a 
broad  strait  beyond,  where  the  swells  of  the  Pacific 
were  already  felt.  The  Inner  Sea  was  left  behind, 
and  in  leaving  it,  M.  Humbert  says,  after  expatiating 
on  the  beauty  of  its  scenery : “ However,  setting  aside 
the  question  of  the  picturesque,  which,  I grant,  is  not 
the  essential  element  of  our  relations  with  the  extreme 
East,  I hope  that,  sooner  or  later,  there  will  be  formed 
in  Ja])an  a chain  of  Western  colonies,  peaceably  devel- 
oping the  natural  and  commercial  resources  of  that  ad- 
mirable country,  along  a line  indicated  by  Yokohama, 
Hiogo,  Simonoseki,  and  Nagasaki.  They  would  be 
united  by  regular  steam  communication.  The  steam- 
ships of  America,  as  well  as  those  of  China,  would 
nourish  the  relations  of  both  worlds  with  the  great 
archipelago  of  the  Pacific.  Europeans,  weary  of  a 
tropical  climate,  or  of  the  burdens  of  business  in  China, 
would  then  come  to  seek  a pure  and  bracing  air,  and  a 
season  of  repose,  on  the  shores  of  the  Japanese  Medi- 
terranean. How  many  families  established  in  China, 
how  many  European  women  with  their  children,  would 


VOYAGE  FROM  NAGASAKI  TO  YEDO. 


61 


be  liappv  to  exchange  the  trying  summer  months  for  a 
refuge  wortliy  the  most  beautiful  regions  of  Italy,  and 
yet  so  near  their  present  residence  ! ” 

After  having  doubled  the  cape  of  Idsoumo,  the 
southern  promontory  of  Nipon,  the  frigate  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  Kuro-siioo^  or  Asiatic  gulf  stream, 
which  flows  northward  |)ast  the  eastern  shores  of  Ja- 
pan, at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  to  forty  miles  per  day. 
Its  maximum  temperature  there  is  about  8o°.  It  is 
the  same  warm  current  which  carries  fog  and  rain  to 
Alaska,  and,  according  to  some  modern  geographers, 
opens  a practicable  route,  through  Behring’s  Straits, 
to  the  North  Pole.  After  a day  of  tranquil  navigation 
they  made,  at  sunrise,  the  promontory  of  Id/u.  in  a 
bight  of  which  is  the  town  of  Simoda,  one  of  the  ])orts 
opened  to  American  vessels  in  1854.  After  the  great 
earthquake,  the  following  year,  in  wliich  the  Russian 
frigate  Diana  was  dashed  to  pieces,  and  which  so 
changed  the  harbor  as  to  injure  its  value  for  com- 
merce, Simoda  was  given  up,  and  the  more  important 
town  of  Kanagawa,  near  Yedo,  substituted  for  it,  in 
the  American  treaty  of  1858. 

When  the  outer  bay  of  Sagami  had  been  passed, 
and  the  frigate  entered  the  broad  strait  of  Uraga, 
which  opens  into  the  Bay  of  Yedo,  ^I.  Humbert  thus 
recalls  the  memorable  event  of  ten  years  before : 
“ On  the  chart  which  they  have  made  of  the  Bay  of 
Yedo,  the  Americans  have  con>ecrated  the  souvenirs 
of  their  glorious  enterprise  by  a series  of  denomina- 
tions of  places,  which  the  geographers  and  navio;ators 
have  already  ratified.  In  front  of  the  town  of  Uraga 
is  Reception  Bay,  and  heyond  it,  the  bar  which  forms 


62 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


Cape  Kainisaki  is  Rubicon  Point;  the  bight  which 
opens  on  the  left  is  Susquehanna  Bay ; above  its 
liin])id  waters  rise  Perry  Island.,  and  Webster  Island ; 
on  the  right,  from  tlie  other  shore,  extends  Cape 
Saratoga  ; and  this  side  of  Yokohama  Mississippi  Bay 
stretclies  to  tlie  end  of  Treaty  Point.  It  is  thus  that 
on  tliese  waters  and  along  these  shores  of  one  of  the 
most  charming  countries  of  the  world,  unknown  until 
our  day,  the  names  of  the  New  World  and  of  our  cos- 
mopolitan age  are  wedded  to  the  names  of  more  than 
twenty  centuries  of  the  Empire  of  the  Rising  Sun.” 

As  they  passed  up  the  bay,  the  solitary  cone  of 
Fusi-yama  came  out  in  all  its  snowy  splendor ; then, 
doublino;  Treaty  Point,  the  harbor  of  Yokohama  sud- 
denly  opened,  with  its  foreign  shipping,  its  white 
foreio-n  houses,  and  consular  residences,  with  the  fla^s 
of  their  res])ective  nations. 

And  not  quite  ten  years  had  elapsed,  since  the  first 
foreign  vessels  had  ever  ploughed  those  waters  — since 
Commodore  Perry,  coming  after  the  failures  of  two 
centuries,  knocked  loudly  at  the  door  of  the  great 
empire,  and  it  was  opened  to  him  1 


CHAPTER  VII. 


RESIDENCE  AT  YOKOHAMA. 

1\/r  HUMBERT  first  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
liouse  of  the  Dutch  Consul-wneral,  in  the 
Japanese  quarter  of  Yokohama,  which  is  there  known 
under  tlie  name  of  Benten.  Tlie  liouse  was  huilt  bv 
the  Japanese,  and  was  an  attempt  to  combine  native 
and  European  ideas,  in  its  architecture  and  arrange- 
ment. It  w’as  a parallelogram,  partly  of  brick  and 
partly  of  wood,  with  a spacious  veranda  on  the  east- 
ern, western,  and  northern  sides.  All  the  occupied 
rooms  opened  upon  this  veranda  by  double  glass 
doors,  w’hich  took  the  place  of  windows.  The  greater 
part  of  the  main  edifice  was  used  for  store-rooms, 
baths,  stables,  and  the  residence  of  the  native  servants, 
of  whom  there  were  a large  number.  In  the  rear 
there  was  a garden,  surrounded  with  palisades,  and 
with  a porter’s  lodge. 

The  porter  was  a respectable,  married  Japanese, 
who  exercised  a sort  of  patriarchal  authority  over  the 
other  domestics.  His  lodge,  where  there  were  always 
a tea-machine,  a little  furnace,  pipes  and  tobacco,  was 
the  rendezvous  of  a crowd  of  native  idlers  and  gos- 
sips ; but  his  services,  nevertheless,  were  ahvays  ren- 
dered punctually  and  correctly.  He  was  not  only 
required  to  keep  a general  watch,  to  open  or  close  the 


64 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


doors  which  he  liad  in  charge,  biit  also  to  sound  the 
hours  of  day  and  night  hy  striking  with  a mallet  upon 
a gong,  and  to  announce  in  the  same  wav  the  char- 
acter of  tlie  visitor  — one  stroke  signifving  a mer- 
chant or  plain  citizen,  two  strokes  an  officer,  or  inter- 
preter, three  a consul  or  Japanese  governor,  and  four 
a minister  or  admiral.  He  was  also  res|)onsible  for  the 
night-watch,  which  must  visit  every  part  of  the  build- 
ing half  honrlv  durino-  the  nicdit. 

Along  the  southern  palisade  were  the  stables  and 
laundry,  and  opposite  to  them  the  residences  of  the 
bettos,  or  grooms.  Every  horse  in  Jajian  has  his 
separate  betto,  who  always  accompanies  him  when 
ridden  out,  running  in  advance  or  at  the  side  of  the 
horseman.  These  robust  fellows  form,  in  Japan,  a 
corporation  or  guild,  which  has  its  own  separate 
govermnent,  the  chief  officer  of  which  enjoys  the  right 
of  wearing  a sword.  They  are  of  medium  stature, 
but  strong  and  well  proportioned.  Their  lives  are 
spent  in  a state  of  almost  complete  nnditv ; though 
they  generally  wear  sandals,  a loin-cloth,  and  a short 
jacket  when  accompanying  their  masters  abroad. 

M.  Humbert  had  as  valet  a little  Japanese  boy,  by 
the  name  of  To.  He  was  a fellow  of  quick  intelli- 
gence, but  with  an  air  of  gravity  and  prudence  much 
beyond  his  years.  “ It  was  from  Td,”  says  the  min- 
ister, “ that  I took  my  first  Japanese  lesson.  He  gave 
me  the  key  to  conversation  in  three  words,  and  the 
philosophical  character  of  the  method  he  employed  will 
at  once  be  ajtpreciated.  The  operations  of  the  mind 
resolve  themselves  into  three  forms  — doubt,  negation 
»nd  affirmation.  As  soon  as  one  knows  how  to  expre.ss 


RESIDENCE  AT  YOKOnAMA. 


65 


tliese  tliree  operations,  the  rest  is  only  a matter  of  the 
Vocabniarv,  — a charcpino-  of  the  memory  with  a cer- 
tain  number  of  the  usual  words.  Thus  we  will  com- 
mence with  doubt,  and  say  in  Japanese,  Arimaska  ? 
which  siifuifies,  ‘ Is  there  ? ’ Then  we  pass  to  ne<ra- 
tion,  Arimasi,*‘T\\evc  is  not,’  and  finish  with  Arimas^ 
‘ There  is.’  After  that,  the  Vocabulary  will  furnish 
us  with  the  words  which  we  most  need,  as  Nipon^ 
Japan,  Japanese  ; chi,  fire  ; cha,  tea  ; ma,  a horse  ; 
mizu,  water,  etc.  Add  a little  mimicry,  and  we  shall 
be  able  to  comprehend  many  things  without  the  aid  of 
an  interpreter.  Thus  coming  home  after  a long  ride, 
I order  To  to  bring  me  tea : '■Cha  arimaska?  ’ He  an- 
swers,  Arimas,'  and  soon  the  refreshing  beverage  is 
on  my  table.  By  the  same  process,  I tell  him  to  put 
the  water  on  the  fire,  or  in  the  tea,  to  call  the  betto 
and  have  the  horse  saddled,  etc.” 

That  part  of  Yokohama  which  is  called  Benten,  takes 
its  name  from  a goddess  of  the  sea,  who  is  still  adored 
on  a neighboring  island.  Before  the  arrival  of  foreiim- 
ers,  this  sacred  spot  was  surrounded  only  by  a settle- 
ment of  fishers  and  farmers,  separated  by  a marsh  from 
the  unimportant  village  of  Yokohama.  At  present  the 
quays,  streets,  and  substantial  modern  buildings  have 
covered  all  the  space  from  Treaty  Point  to  the  small 
river  which  divided  the  two  original  villages.  The 
streets  of  Benten  have  not  yet  been  materially  changed : 
they  are  connected  with  the  new  portion  by  a bridge, 
almost  concealed  from  view  by  the  trees  and  bamboo 
thickets  which  shade  it.  Another  bridge,  on  the  west- 
ern side,  leads  to  the  grove  in  which  stands  the  temple 
of  the  goddess,  with  the  residence  of  the  officiatInr» 

c O 


6G 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


priests.  In  the  neighborhood  there  is  a restaurant,  or 
tea-house,  which  also  fui'nishes  saki.  the  intoxicating 
liquor  distilled  from  rice,  fruits,  fish,  and  wheaten  cakes. 
The  regiment  of  soldiers,  which  performs  the  office  of 
a government  guard,  is  also  quartered  in  this  part  of 
the  town. 

At  first  the  native  population  seemed  somewhat  re- 
served, not  with  any  evidence  of  unfriendly  feeling, 
but  apparently  waiting  until  the  strangers  should  make 
the  first  advances.  “ Little  by  little,”  says  M.  Humbert, 
“ neighborly  relations  wen-  established  between  our 
residence  and  the  quarter  of  the  yakounins  (guards). 
In  Japan,  as  elsewhere,  little  presents  create  friendly 
feelings.  Some  packages  of  white  sugar  and  Java 
coffee,  sent  to  those  families  where  we  learned  that 
there  were  recent  births,  or  invalids,  were  gratefully 
received. 

“ One  day,  when  I was  entirely  alone,  between  four 
and  five  in  the  afternoon,  the  porter  announced  to  me 
the  arrival  of  a deputation  of  native  ladies,  and  asked 
whether  they  should  be  received.  These  ladies  had 
received  from  their  husbands  permission  to  return  their 
thanks  for  the  presents,  but  they  also  wished  to  ex- 
amine our  European  mode  of  living.  I ordered  the 
porter  to  admit  them,  and  took  upon  myself  the  duty 
of  receiving  them  with  all  due  honor. 

“ I soon  heartl  the  sound  of  wooden  shoes  oti  the 
gravel  of  the  garden-alleys,  and  saw,  at  the  foot  of  the 
steps  leading  to  the  veranda,  a group  of  smiling  faces, 
among  whom  were  four  married  women,  two  marriage- 
able girls,  and  children  of  various  ages.  The  first 
could  be  distinguished  by  the  plainness  of  their  toi- 


JAPANli^K  LAD1J2S  GOING  TO  PAY  A Via  IT 


r 


RESIDENCE  AT  YOKOHAMA. 


67 


lets,  having  no  ornaments  in  their  hair,  nothing  fine 
or  brilliantly  colored  in  their  clothing,  no  ronge  on  the 
face,  bnt  the  teeth  blacK  as  ebony,  in  accordance  with 
Japanese  usage  ; the  young  girls,  on  the  contrary,  in- 
crease the  natural  whiteness  of  the  teeth  by  a coat  of 
carmine  on  the  lips,  rouge  their  cheeks,  braid  bands  of 
scarlet  crape  among  their  black  hair,  and  wear  a broad 
girdle  of  brilliant  colors.  As  to  the  children,  their  cos- 
tume consisted  of  gay  plaid  robes  and  girdles ; their 
heads  were  shaved,  but,  according  to  age  or  sex,  sev- 
eral tufts  of  greater  or  less  length  were  left,  some  loose, 
some  bound  together  in  a sort  of  chignon. 

“ After  the  usual  salutations  and  bows,  the  orators 
of  the  deputation, — for  there  were  two  or  three  who 
spoke  at  once,  — made  me  many  handsome  compli- 
ments in  Japanese,  to  which  I replied  in  French,  invit- 
ing them  to  enter  the  salon.  Certainly  I had  been 
Tinderstood  ; for  I heard  expressions  of  thanks  which 
I had  ah’eadv  learned ; and  vet,  instead  of  ascending 
the  steps,  they  appeared  to  ask  some  farther,  unintelli- 
gible explanation.  Finally  the  graceful  company  per- 
ceived my  ignorance ; adding  gesture  to  words,  they 
asked : ‘ Shall  we  take  off  our  shoes  in  the  garden,  or 
will  it  answer  to  do  so  on  the  veranda?  ’ I decided  in 
favor  of  the  latter;  whereupon  they  mounted  the  steps, 
took  off  and  arranged  their  sandals,  and  joyously  trod 
the  carpets  of  the  salon.,  the  children  with  bare  feet, 
the  grown  persons  w'ith  cotton  stockings,  divided  at  the 
end  by  a thumb  for  the  great  toe. 

“ Their  first  impression  was  a naive  admiration  of 
what  they  saw,  followed  immediately  by  a general  hilar- 
ity, for  the  tall  pier-glasses,  descending  to  the  floor. 


68 


TTIA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


reflected  and  repeated  their  forms,  from  head  to  foot, 
behind  as  well  as  in  front.  While  the  younger  visitors 
continued  to  contemplate  this  phenomenon,  so  new  and 
attractive  to  them,  the  married  women  asked  me  to  ex- 
plain the  meaning  of  the  pictures  on  the  walls.  I stated 
that  they  represented  the  Tycoon  of  Holland  and  wife, 
together  with  several  great  daimios  of  the  reigning 
flimily.  They  respectfully  bowed  ; but  one  of  them, 
whose  curiosity  was  not  satisfied,  timidly  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  portrait  of  the  betto  of  his  Dutch  Maj- 
esty had  been  included  in  the  royal  company.  I did  not 
enlighten  her,  for  she  could  never  have  comprehended 
the  noble  fashion  of  representing  a prince  on  foot,  be- 
side his  saddle-horse,  and  ev^en  holding  the  bridle,  like  a 
Japanese  groom  ! Others,  after  having  carefully  exam- 
ined the  velvet  of  the  chairs  and  sofas,  came  to  me  for 
the  decision  of  a question  which  had  arisen  among  them, 
concerning  the  use  of  those  pieces  of  furniture.  They 
agreed  that  the  chairs  were  made  to  be  sat  upon  ; but 
the  sofas  ? Did  we  not  crouch  upon  them,  with  crossed 
legs,  when  the  meals  were  served  ? They  heartily 
commiserated  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  West, 
who  were  obliged  to  use  such  an  inconvenient  piece  of 
furniture,  always  sitting  with  their  feet  painfully  resting 
on  the  floor. 

“ Mv  bedroom,  opening  from  the  salon,  was  next 
invaded.  I cannot  describe  all  the  subjects  of  aston- 
ishment discovered  by  the  curious  troop.  Being  Jap- 
anese, they  were  none  the  less  daughters  of  Eve  ; and 
the  forbidden  fruit  which  tempted  them  the  most  was 
an  assortment  of  uniform  buttons  with  the  Swiss  cross 
■ipon  them,  according  to  the  military  usage  of  my 


RESIDENCE  AT  YOKOUAMA. 


69 


country.  I was  obliged  to  give  tliem  a few,  although 
it  was  impossible  to  conjecture  what  use  they  would 
make  of  them,  since  all  Japanese  garments,  male  or 
female,  are  simply  bound  with  silk  cords.  The  gift  of 
some  articles  of  Parisian  |)erfiiinery  was  well  appre- 
ciated ; but  I could  not  make  them  understand  the 
merits  of  eau  de  Cologne,  for  the  cambric  bandkerchief 
is  unknown  to  Japanese  ladies.  They  informed  me 
that  the  jroorest  girl  would  never  degrade  herself  by 
carrying  in  her  pocket  an  article  with  which  she  had 
wiped  her  nose.  The  little  squares  of  paper  which 
they  carry  for  the  purpose  are  not  likely,  therefore,  to 
be  easily  supplanted. 

“ To  restore  the  balance,  I exhibited  to  them  a case 
containing  an  assortment  of  sewing-thread,  pins,  and 
needles,  and  asked  them  to  make  use  of  it.  They  were 
unanimous  in  recognizing  the  imperfection  of  all  their 
native  implements  for  sewing.  The  needle  by  no 
means  occupies  the  same  jdace  in  their  native  society 
as  in  our  family  circles  at  home.  Sewing,  for  example, 
is  never  seen  during  the  visits  and  the  long  gossips  of 
the  Japanese  women ; even  as  men,  in  Europe,  have 
recourse  to  the  cigar,  they  employ  o?dy  the  pipe,  to 
season  their  hours  of  conversation.  I gave  to  the  chil- 
dren some  small  ])ictures  of  Swiss  landscapes  and  cos- 
tumes, and  showed  to  the  grown  persons  an  album  of 
family  photographs,  which  they  examined  with  an  in- 
terest, an  expression  of  feeling,  truly  touching.” 

M.  Humbert  unites  with  many  American  residents 
of  Yokohama,  in  testifying  to  the  kind  and  friendly  char- 
acter of  the  common  people.  The  fishing  population 
of  Benten  always  accosted  him  with  a pleasant  greet- 


JAPANESE  CROSSING  A MOUNTAIN  GORGE- 


RESIDENCE  AT  YOKOUAMA. 


71 


themselves  in  swinging  baskets  over  the  most  frightful 
deptlis. 

Tlie  country  around  Yokohama  is  thoroughly  cul- 
tivated, and  covered  with  dwellings.  The  isolated 
houses  are  built  near  the  roads,  and  even  those  which 
line  the  highway  are  usually  entirely  open,  and  free  to 
light  and  air.  In  order  to  enjoy  the  fresh  breezes,  the 
inhabitants  shove  to  the  right  and  left  the  movable 
screens  which  inclose  their  dwellings,  and  thus  com- 
pletely ex[)Ose  their  domestic  arrangements  to  the  view 
of  those  who  pass.  It  is  therefore  not  difficult  to  ob- 
serve their  manner  of  living,  as  well  as  the  distinctiv'e 
characteristics  of  the  different  classes  of  society.  The 
conventional  separation  of  the  latter  does  not  seem  to 
depend  on  any  important  difference  of  blood  or  of 
habits.  The  families  of  the  yakounin  live  in  the  same 
manner,  and  with  the  same  domestic  customs,  as  those 
of  the  peasants  and  mechanics;  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a greater  luxury  in  dress  and  meals,  the  households 
of  the  higher  government  officials  are  very  similar. 

The  Japanese  are  of  medium  stature,  and  have 
scarcelv  the  slightest  resemblance  to  the  Chinese, 
either  in  face,  form,  or  complexion.  The  only  Euro- 
pean race  which  they  sometimes  suggest  in  their  ap- 
pearance, is  the  Portuguese.  There  is  more  difference 
in  the  relative  height  of  the  sexes  than  in  Europe. 
According  to  the  observations  made  by  Dr.  Mohnike, 
at  Desima,  the  medium  stature  of  the  men  is  five 
Paris  feet,  one  or  two  inches,  and  of  the  women,  four 
feet,  one  to  three  inches.  Men  of  six  feet,  however, 
are  not  uncommon.  They  all  have  straight,  thick,  jet 
black  hair ; the  men  1 ave  beards,  but  the  custom  of 


72 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


shaving  is  universal.  The  color  of  their  skin  varies, 
according  to  the  classes  of  society,  from  the  dark, 
coppery-brown  of  tlie  Malays  to  the  dead-white  or 
tawny  of  Southern  Europe.  The  prevailing  tint  is  a 
dark  olive,  which  has  no  affinity  to  the  yellow  of  the 
Chinese.  Unlike  the  Euroi)eans,  their  faces  and  hands 
are  generally  lighter  colored  than  their  bodies.  Chil- 
dren, youths,  and  girls  often  have  a fresh  rosy  color, 
with  a red  on  their  cheeks,  like  that  of  the  fairer  races. 
The  women  sometimes  appear  perfectly  white  ; in  fact, 
a uniform,  dead  white  complexion  is  considered  a sign 
of  aristocratic  blood.  In  two  particulars,  however, 
they  are  all  unlike  the  Europeans,  — in  the  peculiar 
slant  of  the  eyes,  and  an  ungraceful  narrowness  and 
flatness  of  the  breast. 

The  national  Japanese  costume  is  the  kirimon,  a 
sort  of  o])en  dressing-gown,  which  is  made  a little 
longer  and  fuller  for  the  women  than  for  the  men.  It 
is  crossed  in  front,  and  held  in  its  place  by  a girdle,  for 
which  the  men  use  a silk  scarf,  and  the  women  a broad 
band,  highly  ornamented,  and  fastened  upon  the  back. 
They  wear  no  linen,  but  bathe  every  day  ; the  women, 
alone,  sometimes  have  a chemise  of  red  crape.  In 
summer,  the  peasants,  fishers,  bettos,  porters,  and 
other  laboring  classes  are  nude,  except  a narrow  girdle 
around  the  loins;  and  the  bathing-houses  of  the  people 
are  as  freely  open  to  the  public  as  their  dwellings. 

In  winter,  the  common  people  wear  a close  fitting 
jacket  and  trousers  of  blue  cotton  cloth,  under  the 
Kirimon,  and  the  women  one  or  more  wadded  mantles. 
The  men  of  the  better  class,  and  the  nobles,  never  go 
abroad  w’thout  the  jacket  and  trousers ; the  principal 


RESIDENCE  AT  YOKOHAMA. 


73 


difference  of  costume  between  the  classes  is  only  in 
the  material,  the  nobles  alone  havinji  the  ricjlit  to  wear 
silk.  They  only  dress  very  richly  when  they  go  to 
court,  or  make  visits  of  ceremuny.  All  classes  have 
the  same  covering  for  the  feet, — cotton  socks,  and 
straw  sandals,  or  wooden  soles,  fastened  by  a strap 
passing  inside  the  great  toe.  When  the  roads  are  very 
muddy,  they  use  pattens,  very  simply  constructed  of 
three  pieces  of  wood.  Every  one,  on  entering  his 
own,  or  a neighbor’s  house,  leaves  his  sandals  at  the 
door. 


CHAPTER  Vin. 


EXCURSION  TO  KAMAKURA 


URING  the  Japanese  summer,  there  is  rarely  a 


lono:  succession  of  fine  davs.  Darin<i  tlie  months 
of  June  and  July,  there  is  an  alternation  of  sultry  heats 
and  furious  rains,  as  in  tropical  countries.  Thunder- 
storms generally  arise  in  the  direction  of  Fusi-yama, 
descend  to  the  bay,  and  finally  pass  away  to  spend  their 
greatest  violence  on  the  ocean  ; the  islands  are  not  often 
visited  with  the  furious  typhoons  of  the  Chinese  Sea. 

During  this  season,  M.  Humbert,  weary  of  his  quiet 
life  at  Benten,  and  of  nightly  battles  with  the  mosqui- 
toes, projected  in  company  with  some  of  the  other 
foreign  residents,  an  excursion  to  the  old  city  of 
Kamakura,  the  residence  of  the  Tycoons  before  lyeyas 
removed  the  capital  to  Yedo.  It  is  situated  on  the  sea- 
shore, at  the  head  of  tlie  deep  bay  of  Sagami,  and  not 
more  than  twenty  miles  in  a direct  line  from  Yoko- 
hama. After  much  consultation,  the  travellers,  three 
in  number,  decided  to  go  down  the  bay  in  a boat  as  far 
as  the  villajTe  of  Kanasawa,  whence  it  was  but  a land 
journey  of  five  miles  to  Kamakura. 

“ It  was  nine  o’clock  in  the  evening  when  we  em- 
barked,” M.  Humbert  writes.  “ Two  Japanese  sentinels 
on  the  shore,  armed  with  a musket  without  bayonet, 
saluted  us  with  a peaceable  ‘ good  evening  ! ’ From  all 


EXCURSION  TO  KAMAKURA. 


75 


the  barques  moored  to  tlie  quay,  arose,  like  a rhythmi- 
cal moaning,  the  monotonous  prayer  of  the  fishermen  to 
the  supreme  intercessor  and  jiatron  of  souls:  ‘ Amida, 
have  mercy  upon  us ! ’ Tlie  efficacy  of  this  prayer  de- 
])ends  on  the  number  of  minutes  uninterruptedly 
devoted  to  it,  according  to  the  direction  of  the  bonzes, 
or  priests. 

“ Our  crew  was  composed  of  five  boatmen,  the  con- 
stable, two  valets,  and  a Chinese  comjyrador  (steward). 
They  were  all  ready  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  junk, 
leaving  the  cabin  at  our  disposition.  We  arranged 
three  sleeping-places  out  of  sacks,  boxes,  and  such  cov- 
erings as  we  had  brought  with  us,  and  then  mounted 
to  the  deck  to  enjoy  the  night.  The  boatmen,  who 
were  obliged  to  row  across  that  part  of  the  harbor  oc- 
cupied by  the  fleet,  stood  on  their  feet,  two  on  each 
side,  leaning  on  their  long,  plunging  oars,  to  which 
they  gave  a sort  of  rotary  movement  in  rowing,  like 
the  Venetian  gondoliers.  The  fifth  stood  upon  the 
stern,  and  managed  the  rudtler.  Tlie  effect  of  this 
manner  of  rowing  was  like  that  of  a screw-engine. 

“ Afterwards  a light  breeze  having  arisen,  our  boat- 
men drew  in  their  oars  and  hoisted  sail.  We  were 
soon  on  the  open  water,  losing  sight  of  the  shores,  and 
all  place  of  embarkation  ; the  sky  was  covered  with  float- 
ing vapors,  and  the  moon  gave  but  a misty  light.  But 
when  we  went  below  to  sleep,  we  found,  to  our  horror, 
that  the  mosquitoes  were  there  before  us.  There  was 
nothing  to  do  but  to  return  to  the  deck,  order  our 
Chinaman  to  prepare  tea,  and  pass  the  rest  of  the  night 
crouched  around  the  fire  in  his  brazier. 

“ In  the  early  dawn,  the  boatmen  hauled  down  the 


76 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


sail  and  resumed  tlieir  oars.  We  beiran  to  distiiicruish, 
on  our  right,  a steep,  picliiresque  promontory,  clothed 
with  beautiful  groups  of  trees,  and,  directly  in  front 
' of  us,  the  domes  of  foliasre  which  crown  Webster  Isl- 
and.  Skirting  its  shores,  we  entered  by  a narrow 
channel  into  the  harbor  of  Kaiiasawa,  passing  a num- 
ber of  fishing  boats  which  were  silently  pushing  out  to 
their  day’s  labor.  At  the  entrance  of  the  j)ort  a little 
ttmiple,  surrounded  with  fruit  trees,  occupies  the  centre 
of  a low  island,  connected  with  the  market-place  by  a 
jetty  ; further,  on  a massive  j)ile  of  rocks,  overlooking 
some  sacred  buildings,  there  is  a tea-house  with  an  ob- 
servatory commanding  a panorama  of  the  entire  bay. 

“ The  Japanese  have  a lively  feeling  for  the  beauty 
of  their  country.  There  is  no  picturesque  point  to 
which  they  do  not  call  public  attention,  by  building 
there  a chapel,  a tea-house,  a pavilion,  or  some  sort  of 
an  edifice  inviting  repose.  Nowhere  is  the  traveller  so 
frequently  invited  to  delay  his  journey,  and  relieve 
himself  of  fatigue  under  some  hosj)itable  roof,  or  cool 
shade,  with  a lovely  landscape  before  his  eyes. 

“ We  entered  an  hostelry  near  the  port.  A spacious 
gallery,  above  the  level  of  the  street,  was  })ut  at  our 
disposal.  Some  planks  laid  upon  trestles,  two  benches 
and  emptv  boxes  enable  us  to  seat  ourselves  at  table  in 
the  Euro})ean  manner.  We  breakfasted  on  our  own 
provisions,  to  which  the  hostess  added  tea,  saki,  ri:‘e, 
fried  fish,  and  soy.  She  was  assisted  by  two  young 
servant-girls,  neatly  dressed,  and  eoiffees  with  even  an 
air  of  elejrance.  Toward  the  close  of  our  meal  the  chiU 

o 

Iren  of  the  house  timidly  mounted  the  steps  leading  to 
lur  room  ; bat,  on  my  beckoning  the  youngest,  he  set 


JAPANESE  TEA  IIODSE. 


EXCURSION  TO  KAMAKURA. 


77 


up  a loud  crv.  I drew  from  my  pocket  some  pictured 
labels  which  I was  in  the  habit  of  carrying  about  with 
me,  and  vervsoon  he  came  to  beir  one  of  me.  Tiien  fol- 
lowed  his  mother,  tlie  girls  of  the  inn,  and  the  women 
of  the  neighborhood,  with  their  children.  An  old  grand- 
mother expressed  a wish  to  taste  some  white  sugar,  for 
the  raw  brown  su<rar  broimbt  from  Loo-Choo  is  the 
only  kind  known  in  Japan.  We  succeeded,  finally,  in 
making  them  understand  that  we  needed  rest  ; where- 
upon they  withdrew  as  gently  and  noiselessly  as  if  we 
were  already  slumberincr. 

“ A slee])ing-|)lace  was  improvised  by  using  a num- 
ber of  double  screens,  in  order  to  divide  the  room  into 
a number  of  separate  retreais.  I say  separate,  rather 
than  inclosed,  for  the  paper  screens  were  not  without 
holes  ; and  after  I was  stretched  upon  the  matting, 
with  my  head  on  a travelling-cushion,  I more  than 
once  saw  a curious  eye  sparkling  through  the  apertures. 
Finally  I slept,  but  not  fora  long  time.  The  matting 
of  these  Japanese  houses  serves  as  a retreat  for  multi- 
tudes of  those  insects  which  Toepffer  has  designated 
by  the  name  of  ‘domestic  kangaroos.’  My  comrades 
had  the  same  e.xperience,  and  we  very  soon  returned 
to  the  o|KMi  gallery.” 

The  day,  which  turned  out  to  be  rainy,  was  spent, 
perforce,  in  the  tea-house.  A dinner  of  fish,  which 
the  travellers  were  allowed  to  select  from  the  tank  in 
which  they  swam,  was  served  by  the  hostess,  with  the 
usual  rice-cakes,  and  a dessert  of  fruit.  In  the  after- 
noon they  had  a visit  from  a female  professor  of  music, 
a pei-formor  on  the  samsin.,  a rude  stringed  instrument, 
somewhat  resembling  a guitar.  One  of  the  company 


78 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


had  a music-box,  which  played  several  French  airs; 
and  they  were  all  astonished  at  the  skill  with  which 
the  Japanese  musician  caught  them  up  and  repeated 
them  on  her  instrument. 

After  another  uncomfortable  night,  the  greater  part 
of  the  company  (some  of  whom  had  arrived  by  land), 
who  had  intended  making  an  excursion  to  the  remark- 
able volcanic  island  of  Inosima,  decided  to  return  to 
Yokohama.  M.  Humbert  and  two  others,  with  the 
constable,  set  out  on  foot  for  the  old  capital  of  Kama- 
kura. “ It  was  four  o’clock  in  the  morning,”  he  writes, 
“ when  we  left  the  tea-house.  We  ti’aversed  the  de- 
serted streets  of  Kanasawa  in  a southern  direction,  to 
the  last  of  the  chain  of  hills  against  which  the  village 
leans.  There,  some  constructions  of  a peculiar  style 
announce  a seignorial  residence.  Strong  walls  sur- 
round  and  support  garden  terraces  : a portal,  formed 
of  two  pillars  and  a cross-piece  of  massive  oak,  covered 
with  black  varnish  and  adorned  with  ornaments  of 
copper,  gives  access  to  a spacious  court-yard.  Therein 
we  distinguish  a guard-house  and  other  buildings,  be- 
hind which  there  are  great  trees,  which  give  an  an- 
tique character  to  the  residence.  I learned  that  it 
belongs  to  the  prince  Nond-kura  Tango,  whose  annual 
revenue  is  about  160,000  francs. 

“Further  on,  after  having  crossed  a bridge  over  a 
rapid  river  flowing  to  the  west,  we  approach  that  chain 
of  wooded  mountains  which  divides  the  peninsula  of 
Sagami  intc  two  opposite  slopes.  Around  us  the  soil 
is  cultivated  ; fields  of  beans  have  replaced  the  wheat 
harvested  in  June  ; the  rice  still  rolls  in  green  waves, 
but  already  in  head.  The  paths  which  lead  through 


EXCURSION  TO  KAMAKURA. 


79 


the  fields  are  so  narrow  that  there  is  only  space  to  put 
one  foot  before  the  otlier.  Even  on  the  road  we  fol- 
lowed, two  horses  could  scarcely  go  abreast : yet  upon 
it,  we  encountered  a singular  obstacle.  An  old  man 
and  his  wife  had  chosen  it  as  an  economical  lodging- 
place  for  the  night,  and  were  sleeping  upon  two  bam- 
boo mats  which  were  probably  also  their  travelling 
cloaks.  A little  heap  of  smoking  ashes  indicated  that 
they  had  made  a fire  of  reeds  to  drive  away  the  mos- 
quitoes from  their  rural  couch. 

“ Rising  from  the  foot  of  the  hills,  the  road  winds 
among  rocks  of  sandstone,  sometimes  sharply  pointed, 
often  pierced  with  grottoes  in  which  we  discover  little 
idols,  altars,  or  votive  offerings.  On  the  summit  of  the 
ridge  there  is  a cabin  of  planks  and  mats,  built  against 
a wall  of  rock,  and  containing  some  benches,  a hearth, 
and  utensils  for  preparing  tea  and  rice.  At  this  early 
morning  hour  it  is  uninhabited,  and  its  furniture  is  in- 
trusted to  the  honesty  of  the  public.  The  descent  on 
the  other  side  is  raj)id.  A beautiful  golden  pheasant 
looks  at  us  from  the  border  of  a grove  ; one  of  my  com- 
panions cannot  resist  the  temptation  of  dischargino;  his 
revolver.  But  the  bird,  untoiiched,  does  not  seem  to 
be  much  concerned  by  the  attempt ; and  only  after 
some  reflection,  does  he  judge  it  prudent  to  remove  lo 
the  top  of  a tall  tree,  out  of  reach. 

“ Half  way  down  the  slope  we  passed  a village 
charmingly  situated  among  trees  and  flowers,  on  the 
borders  of  a torrent  which  was  dammed  to  feed  some 
rice-mills.  The  natives  were  busy,  in  and  around 
their  houses  ; and  a woman  on  seeing  us,  hastened  to 
summon  her  children  from  the  pool  wh  're  thev  we*"® 


82 


TRAVELS  ly  JAPAN. 


drew  nearer  in  coming  from  Kanasawa,  the  chapels 
and  commemorative  stones  on  the  sacred  liills,  in- 
creased in  number.  After  crossing  a river  on  a fine 
wooden  bridge,  we  found  ourselves  in  tlie  princijial 
avenue,  leading  directly  to  the  great  square  in  front  of 
the  terraces,  stairways  and  buildings  of  the  temple. 
Around  the  first  court  are  the  houses  of  the  bonzes, 
thrust  behind  each  other  like  the  side-scenes  of  a 
theatre,  among  trees  planted  around  the  wall  of  en- 
closure ; while  two  great  ponds,  of  oval  shape,  occupy 
the  centre  of  the  square.  These  latter  are  connected 
by  a broad  canal,  which  is  crossed  by  parallel  bridges, 
each  remarkable  in  its  appearance.  The  one  on  the 
right  is  built  of  hewn  stones  of  whitish  granite,  and  is 
so  nearly  a perfect  semicircle  in  its  form,  that  one 
involuntarily  wonders  what  gymnastic  exercises  were 
intended  to  be  performed  on  it ; but  I take  it  to  be  the 
bridge  of  honor  reserved  for  the  gods  and  other  good 
spirits,  when  they  visit  the  temple.  The  bridge  on  the 
left  is  level,  constructed  of  wood,  coA-ered  with  red  lac- 
quer, and  with  old  copper  ornaments  on  the  railings. 
One  pond  is  filled  with  the  magnificent  blossoms  of  the 
white  lotus  ; the  other  is  splendid  with  the  red  lotus. 
Gold  and  crimson  fish,  and  others  with  pearly  fins  sAvim 
in  the  crystal  AA'ater  betAveen  the  leaA^es  and  flowers, 
and  the  black  tortoise  basks  on  the  leaA^es. 

“We  noAv  reach  the  second  court,  eleA'ated  above 
the  first,  and  only  to  be  entered  by  passing  through 
the  lodge  appropi-iated  to  the  diAune  guardians  of 
the  sanctuary.  This  building,  facing  the  bridges,  shel- 
ters under  its  high,  peaked  roof,  tAvo  monstrous  idols, 
one  on  each  side.  They  are  sculptured  of  Avood,  and 


ty 


JAPANESE  PILGRLMS. 


Excunsio.y  to  kamakura. 


83 


coated  with  vermilion  lacquer  from  head  to  foot.  Their 
grimacino;  faces  and  enormous  bodies  are  spotted  with 
innumerable  balls  of  chewed  paper,  which  the  native 
visitors  throw  at  them  in  passing,  with  no  more  scruple 
than  a band  of  mischievous  school-boys.  Neverthe- 
less, this  is  a very  serious  act  on  the  part  of  the  pil- 
grims, for  it  assures  them  that  the  prayer  written  on 
the  ])iece  of  paper  which  they  chew,  will  probably 
reach  its  destination.  In  order  to  be  entirely  certain, 
they  are  required  to  ])urchase  and  suspend  to  the  grat- 
ing around  the  statues  a pair  of  straw  sandals  large 
enough  for  the  feet  of  the  latter.  Thousands  of  such 
sandals  are  constantly  offered,  and  are  allowed  to 
hang  on  the  grating  until  they  drop  to  pieces  from  rot- 
tenness. 

“ A high  terrace,  surmounted  by  a grand  staircase, 
towers  over  the  second  court.  It  is  supported  by  a 
wall  of  Cyclopean  construction,  and  supports  the  prin- 
cipal temple,  with  the  habitations  of  the  chief  bonzes 
The  ornamentation  of  these  buildings  lacks  neither 
taste  nor  proportion.  It  is  chiefly  applied  to  the 
portals,  and  to  the  brackets  and  cornices  on  which  the 
roofs  rest.  The  beautiful  brown  tint  of  the  timber, 
which  is  almost  the  only  material  employed,  is  relieved 
by  carvings,  painted  red  or  a brilliant  green.  To 
complete  the  effect  of  the  picture,  one  must  add  its 
frame  of  immemorial  trees  and  the  incomparable  brill- 
iancy of  the  sky. 

“ The  general  view  of  the  entire  temple  from  the 
terrace  almost  inspired  us  with  regret  for  the  lost 
times,  when  the  whole  people  were  wont  to  unite, 
■with  their  magistrates  and  ministers  of  worship,  in 


84 


TRAVELS  IN  „ APAN. 


a common  act  of  religious  adoration  and  patriotic 
entlmsiasm.  Even  as  the  tribes  of  Israel  in  dedicating 
the  Temple,  the  tribes  of  Nipon  and  the  neighboring 
isles  formerly  filled  all  these  courts  and  avenues,  under 
the  eyes  of  the  chiefs  of  the  nation,  grouped  on  the 
esplanade  of  the  sanctuary.  The  view  thence  reaches 
to  the  sea,  over  the  roofs  and  bridges,  and  the  three 
jwrtals  dividing  the  grand  avenue.  With  such  a crowd 
surrounding  these  edifices,  these  pillars,  these  natural 
columns  formed  by  the  trunks  of  the  cypresses,  all  the 
space,  from  the  high  terrace  to  the  sea,  would  consti- 
tute but  a single  immense  temple,  sparkling  with  color 
and  light,  under  the  dome  of  the  sky. 

“ Nothing  could  offer  a ruder  contrast  to  the  sublime 
character  of  this  picture,  than  the  avenue  to  which  we 
were  conducted,  in  leaving  the  avenue  of  Hatchiman. 
It  has  been  built,  it  is  true,  in  an  admirable  situation, 
on  the  summit  of  a promontory  which  commands  a 
vieAv  of  the  whole  bay  of  Kamakura;  but  it  is  all  the 
more  saddening  to  find,  amid  such  lovely  scenery,  a 
pretended  sanctuary  which  only  produces  an  impres- 
sion of  disgust.  The  principal  building  seemed  at 
first  to  offer  nothing  remarkable  ; there  are  only  some 
insignificant  gilded  idols  on  the  chief  altar.  In  a 
lateral  chapel  one  sees  the  god  of  wealth,  armed  with 
a miner’s  hammer.  The  bonzes,  however,  conducted 
us  behind  the  altar,  and  there,  in  an  obscure  cage,  like 
a prison,  and  as  high  as  a tower,  they  lighted  two 
lanterns  and  hoisted  them  slowly  up  a kind  of  mast. 
Then  by  the  wavering  light,  almost  lost  in  the  shadows 
of  the  roof,  we  found  ourselves  face  to  face  with  an 
enormous  idol  of  gilded  wood,  thirty-five  feet  in  height. 


EXCURSION  TO  KAMAKURA. 


85 


holding  in  tlie  right  hand  a sceptre,  in  tlie  left  a lotus, 
and  wearing  a triple  tiara,  composed  of  the  heads  of 
inferior  deities.  This  is  one  of  the  means  hy  which 
the  bonzes  excite  the  superstitious  imagination  of  the 
peo])le,  and  keep  them  in  a state  of  i)er[)etual  im- 
becility. 

“ The  monument  dedicated  to  Daiboodhs,  that  is, 
the  Great  Boodha,  may  be  considered  as  the  most 
complete  work  of  the  Japanese  genius,  in  regard  both 
to  art  and  to  the  religious  sentiment.  The  temple  of 
Ilatchiman  has  already  given  us  an  example  of  the 
profit  which  native  art  has  learned  to  draw’  from 
nature,  in  easily  producing  that  impression  of  religious 
majesty,  which  we  associate,  at  home,  with  Gothic 
architecture.  Tlie  temple  of  Daiboodhs  [knowm  to 
the  English  and  American  residents  in  Japan  by  the 
name  of  I)yhootf\  has,  in  many  respects,  a very  differ- 
ent character.  In  jilace  of  grand  and  broad  dimensions, 
of  that  unbounded  space  which  sinks  from  gateway 
to  gateway  to  the  sea,  a solitary,  mysterious  retreat 
was  sought,  such  as  might  dispose  the  spirit  to  expect 
some  supernatural  revelation.  The  road,  avoiding  all 
habitations,  directs  itself  towards  the  mountains ; it 
winds,  at  first,  betw’een  hedges  of  tall  shrubs;  then 
we  see  nothing  before  us  but  a straight  path,  ascending 
through  foliage  and  flow'ers : then  it  turns,  as  if  seek- 
ing some  remote  goals  and  all  at  once  appears  at  the 
bottom  of  the  alley,  a gigantic  seated  divinity  of 
bronze,  with  folded  hands,  and  head  gently  inclined 
m an  attitude  of  contemplative  ecstasy. 

“ The  involuntary  shock  which  one  feels,  on  the  first 
appearance  of  this  grand  figure,  soon  gives  place  to 


86 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


admiration.  There  is  an  irresistible  charm  in  the  pos- 
ture of  Daiboodhs,  in  tlie  liarmony  of  his  bodily  pro- 
portions, in  the  noble  simplicity  of  his  drapery,  and  in 
the  calmness  and  serenity  of  his  countenance.  A dense 
belt  of  foliage,  over  which  tower  a few  beautiful  groups 
of  trees,  is  the  only  inclosure  of  the  sacred  place,  the 
silence  and  solitude  of  which  is  undisturb  id.  Wo 
hardly  distinguish  the  modest  hermitage  of  the  offi- 
ciating priest,  concealed  in  the  foliage.  The  altar, 
where  a little  incense  burns  at  the  foot  of  the  divinity, 
consists  of  a table  of  bronze,  with  two  lotus  vases  of 
the  same  metal,  and  of  admirable  workmanship.  The 
azure  of  the  sky,  the  grand  gloom  of  the  statue,  the 
austere  tint  of  the  bronze,  the  brilliancy  of  the  flow- 
ers, and  the  varied  verdure  of  the  hedges  and  thickets, 
fill  this  retreat  with  the  richest  effects  of  light  and 
colors. 

“ The  figure  of  Daiboodhs,  with  the  base  upon 
which  it  rests,  is  a little  more  than  sixtv-five  feet  hiffh. 
It  does  not  equal  in  elevation  the  statue  of  San  Carlo 
Borromeo,  near  Arona,  on  Lake  iSIaggiore  ; but  the 
latter  leaves  the  spectator  as  cold  as  if  it  were  merely 
a ti'icTonometric  sicnal.  The  interiors  of  both  colossal 
statues  have  been  utilized,  more  or  less  skillfully.  The 
European  tourists  seat  themselves  in  the  nose  of  the 
cardinal ; the  Japanese  descend  by  a staircase  into  the 
foundation  of  their  Daiboodhs,  where  they  find  a quiet 
oratory,  the  altar  of  which  receives  a ray  of  the  sun 
through  an  opening  in  the  folds  of  the  god’s  bronze 
mantle.” 

In  a chapter  on  the  bonzes,  who  officiate  in  these 
temples,  M.  Humbert  gives  the  following  views  in  re- 


EXCURSION  TO  KAMAKUR± 


87 


gard  to  the  modification  which  the  original  Buddhist 
religion  has  undergone  in  Japan  : — 

Buddhism  is  a flexible,  conciliating,  insinuating 
faith,  accommodating  itself  to  the  genius  and  the 
usages  of  the  most  diverse  races.  From  their  very 
first  entrance  into  Japan,  the  bonzes  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining the  charcfe  of  the  ancient  relics  and  even  of  the 
cha|)els  of  the  saints,  and  preserving  them  within  the 
bounds  of  their  own  sanctuaries.  They  speedily  added 
to  their  ceremonies  symbols  box-rowed  from  the  ancieixt 
national  woi-ship  ; and  finally,  in  order  more  thoi-oughly 
to  confound  the  two  i-eligions,  they  introduced  into 
their  temples  both  Japanese  saints  clothed  with  the 
titles  and  attributes  of  Hindoo  divinities,  and  the 
Hiixdoo  divinities  ti’ansformed  into  Japanese  saints. 
Owixio-  to  this  combination,  which  is  known  under 
the  name  of  Ilioobou-Sintoo,  Buddhism  became  the 
dominant  i-eligion  of  Japan. 

“ At  fii’st  it  was  the  gi-eat  Boodh  of  India,  to  whom 
colossal  statues  — of  which  the  Daiboodhs  of  Karna- 
kui-a  fui-nishes  the  best  type  — wei-e  erected.  Aftei-- 
wards  the  Japanese  idea  of  a supreme  divinity  was 
personified  in  the  fantastic  image  of  Amlda,  who  is 
I’cpresente d under  nine  different  forms,  symbolizing  his 
incarnation  and  his  essential  pei-fections,  — one  of  tlie 
latter  being  expressed  in  the  emblem  of  a dog’s  head. 
Among  the  auxiliai-y  gods  who  serve  as  mediators  be- 
tween men  and  the  supreme  Being,  the  favor  of  the 
Japanese  people  is  principally  bestowed  upon  Quannon, 
wlio  possesses  the  most  frequented  temple  in  Yedo,  and 
in  Miako  the  fanxous  temple  of  the  Thirty-thi-ee  Thou- 
sand Throe  Hundred  and  Thix-ty-thi’ee  Genii  (pro- 


88 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


nounced  in  Japanese,  Sanman  sansin  sanhiak  sansin 
santai).  This  divinity  rests  on  a lotus-flower,  the  left 
leg  doubled  under  the  body  ; the  head  is  covered  with 
a veil  which  falls  on  the  shoulders.  The  idol  has  no 
less  than  forty-six  arms,  bearing  all  sorts  of  attributes 
which  attest  his  power.” 


CHAPTER  IX, 


THE  HIGHWAY  TO  YEDO. 


HE  Tokaido,  or  great  highway  of  Japan,  passes 


near  Yokohama,  and  strikes  the  coast  at  Kana- 
gawa,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbor.  When  the 
traveller  takes  the  land  route  to  Yedo,  he  is  obliged 
to  accept  the  escoi’t  of  a troop  of  mounted  yakounins. 
M.  Humbert,  on  setting  out  for  the  capital,  ordered  the 
latter  to  await  him  at  the  river  Lokgo,  which  is  the 
official  limit  fixed  for  the  excursions  of  the  foreign  res- 
idents of  Yokohama  in  that  direction.  “ We  crossed 
to  Kanagawa,”  he  says,  “ where  our  horses  awaited  us, 
and  enjoyed  one  more  hour  of  liberty  in  following  at 
our  ease  the  Tokaido.  The  highway  was  filled  with 
two  interminable  files  of  travellers,  on  foot,  on  horse- 
back, in  palanquins  and  cangos  ; those  going  to  the 
capital  taking  like  us  the  right  side  of  the  road,  and 
those  returning  from  it  taking  the  left. 

“ A halt  was  made  at  the  tea-house  of  Maneia,  all 
open,  both  the  main  building  and  the  wings,  to  a crowd 
of  comers  and  goers.  The  matting  was  entirely  hid- 
den by  the  groups  of  picturesque  feasters  ; the  rear 
wall  was  taken  up  with  furnaces,  steaming  boilers, 
shelves  of  utensils,  and  provisions  ; rapid  waiters  cir- 
culated on  all  sides,  distributing  with  grace  the  lacquered 
plates  laden  with  tea,  cups  of  saki,  fried  fish,  cakes, 


90 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  the  fruits  of  the  season.  Before  the  door,  seated 
on  the  broad  and  sliort  benches  of  the  inn,  mechanics 
and  coolies  refreshed  themselves  with  fans,  and  women 
lighted  their  pipes  at  the  common  brazier.  All  at  once 
a movement  of  horror  takes  place  among  the  guests 
and  the  waiters  ; a detachment  of  police  officers,  es- 
corting a criminal,  arrive  to  take  refreshments.  With 
all  haste  the  two-sworded  gentlemen  are  supplied  with 
boiling  tea  or  tepid  saki,  while  the  coolies  who  carry 
the  prisoner  in  a basket  of  woven  bamboo  without  any 
apparent  opening,  deposit  their  burden  on  the  ground, 
and  with  a long  piece  of  crape  begin  to  dry  the  sweat 
which  trickles  down  their  shoulder-blades.  As  to  the 
prisoner,  who  may  be  espied  doubled  up  within,  with 
haggard  e\'e,  and  unkempt  beard  and  hair,  he  will  be 
shut  up  and  tortured  in  the  prisons  of  Yedo,  to  answer 
for  the  crimes  of  which  he  is  accused  in  a placard  sus- 
pended from  the  basket. 

“ At  about  twelve  miles  from  Kanagawa,  the  pleas- 
ant suburb  of  Kawasaki  extends  along  the  right  bank 
of  the  Lokgo  to  the  long  bars  formed  by  the  deposits 
of  this  muddy  stream.  They  may  be  distinguished  in 
the  bay  for  a long  distance,  as  a line  of  deraarkation 
between  the  anchorage  of  Kanazawa  and  that  of 
Yedo.  Kawasaki  has  several  temples,  among  which 
that  of  Daisi-Gwanara  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of  the 
purest  specimens  of  Buddhist  architecture  in  Japan. 
I have  heard  different  accounts  of  the  worship  to  which 
it  is  consecrated ; among  others  a marvelous  legend 
concerning  the  saint  who  is  the  special  object  of  ven- 
eration. He  attained  the  virtue  of  contemplation  to 
such  a degree  that  he  did  not  perceive  that  a charcoal 


A STREET  SCENE  IN  JAPAN. 


THE  HIGHWAY  TO  YEDO. 


91 


fire,  in  a pan  before  him,  had  destroyed  his  hands  while 
he  w'as  abstracted  in  his  devotions. 

“ The  passage  of  the  Lokgo  was  effected  in  the 
large  flat  boats  which  are  freighted,  pell-mell,  with 
travellers  and  horses.  Our  yakounins  awaited  us  on 
the  opposite  shore.  After  the  usual  indispensable  com- 
pliments, each  one  mounted  his  horse,  and  we  set  out 
at  a rapid  trot,  in  a complete  confusion,  which,  nev- 
ertheless, gradually  gave  way  to  a regular  order  of 
march. 

“ Although  the  Tokaido,  in  general,  does  not  fall 
below  any  of  the  great  roads  of  Europe,  and  has  the 
advantage  throughout  its  whole  extent,  of  being  bor- 
dered with  sidewalks  shaded  by  avenues  of  splendid 
trees,  it  is  most  neglected  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yedo. 
A day  of  rain  converts  into  pools  of  mud  the  streets  of 
the  numerous  villages  which  are  traversed  after  leaving 
Kanagawa.  In  this  respect  as  in  many  others,  the 
Japanese  manifest  at  the  same  time  a very  remarkable 
intelligence  in  the  works  of  civilization,  and,  when  they 
come  to  apply  it,  a careless  disregard  of  details  none 
the  less  remarkable. 

“ At  last  we  reach  the  limits  of  the  municipality  of 
Yedo.  A short  halt  at  the  door  of  one  of  the  numer- 
ous tea-houses  of  the  village  of  Omori  introduces  us  to 
a gay  society  of  good  citizens  of  the  capital,  accom- 
panied by  their  wives  and  children.  Except  the  cos- 
tume, it  is  a repetition  of  one  of  our  own  suburban 
scenes.  Other  groups,  not  less  noisy,  besiege  a great 
store-house  of  articles  made  of  rushes,  straw,  and  bam- 
boo, w’hich  is  announced  afar  off  by  a confused  sym- 
phony of  flageolets,  trumpets,  and  Pan’s-pipes,  given  to 


92 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


childish  amateurs  for  trial.  An  infinite  variety  of  child- 
ren’s to}^s,  fancy  hats,  animals  made  of  plaited  straw, 
painted  and  varnished,  are  displayed.  We  see  among 
them  the  bear  of  Yeso,  the  monkey  of  Niphon,  the 
domesticated  buffalo,  and  the  centenary  turtle,  trailing 
after  him  the  tufts  of  marine  herbs  which  grow  upon 
his  shell. 

“ But  time  presses,  and  the  sight  of  the  anchorage, 
covered  with  white  sails,  excites  our  impatience.  Soon 
we  skirt  the  shore  of  the  bay.  The  highway  rests  on 
strong  foundations  of  sunken  stones ; but  the  waves 
which  formerly  broke  upon  them,  now  die  among  the 
reeds  and  sea-weed.  On  our  left  extends  a grove  of 
pine  and  cypress,  above  which  flocks  of  ravens  are 
wheeling,  and  our  guides  point  out  to  us  a distant  clear- 
ing as  the  place  for  capital  executions,  at  least  for  the 
southern  part  of  the  city,  there  being  a second  for  the 
northern  part.  Nothing  can  equal  the  gloomy  aspect 
of  these  places.  Even  if  one  is  fortunate  enough  to 
avoid  seeing  the  exposed  heads  or  the  bodies  abandoned 
to  dogs  and  birds,  one  cannot  perceive  without  horror 
the  recent  earth  which  covers  the  I'emains  of  the  vic- 
tims ; the  pillar  of  granite  with  some  unknown  dismal 
inscription  ; the  plank  shed  which  serves  as  a shelter 
for  the  officers  who  are  present  at  the  execution  ; and, 
towering  over  all,  the  gigantic  statue  of  Boodha,  sad 
symbol  of  implacable  expiation  and  unconsoled  death. 

“ After  passing  this  spot,  we  enter  that  subiirb  of 
Yedo  which  has  the  worst  fame,  — Sinagawa,  which 
commences  two  miles  to  the  southward  of  the  city 
proper,  with  which  it  unites  at  the  gate  of  the  Takan- 
awa  quarter.  The  Japanese  government  has  adopted 


THE  HIGHWAY  TO  YEDO. 


93 


the  strict  rule  that  foreio;ners  wlio  come  to  Yedo,  or 
who  reside  in  tliatcity,  shall  not  pass  through  Sinagawa 
except  bv  daylight  and  under  a strong  escort.  It  is 
not  because  the  permanent  population  of  the  suburb  is 
not  entirely  inoffensive  ; for  it  is  chiefly  composed  of 
boatmen,  Ashers,  and  laborers.  But  these  latter  in- 
habit the  cabins  along  the  strand,  while  both  sides  of 
the  Tokaido  are  bordered,  without  interruption,  with 
the  very  worst  kind  of  tea-houses.  You  And  there 
the  same  scum  of  society  as  in  the  great  cities  of  Eu- 
rope and  America,  and  besides,  a very  dangerous  class 
of  men,  vagabonds,  peculiar  to  the  capital  of  Japan. 
These  are  the  lonins,  unemployed  officers  belonging 
to  the  caste  of  the  Samourais,  who  have  therefore  the 
privilege  of  carrying  two  sabres.  Some  are  the  sons  of 
good  families,  who  have  been  turned  out  of  their  homes 
by  their  dissipated  lives  ; others  have  lost  by  bad  con- 
duct their  former  places  in  .the  service  of  the  Tycoon  or 
in  the  military  household  of  some  daimio  ; and  others, 
ajjain,  have  been  discharged  bv  some  chief  who  has 
been  forced  to  reduce  his  expenses  by  diminishing  the 
number  of  his  suite. 

“ The  lonin,  deprived  of  the  pay  upon  which  he 
lives,  and  knowing  nothing  beyond  the  trade  of  arms, 
has  generally  no  other  resource,  while  awaiting  a new 
service,  than  to  betake  himself  to  the  retreats  of  vice, 
and  perform  some  ignoble  office  or  other,  in  return  for 
the  hospitality.  The  custom  which  he  attracts  adds  new 
elements  of  danger  to  those  with  which  the  suburb 
abounds.  He  establishes  an  organization,  even  a sort 
of  discipline,  in  the  midst  of  disorder  and  crime.  There 
are  chiefs  of  lonins  whom  bands  of  miserable  wretches 


94 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


follow  with  a blind  obedience.  To  such  the  mA’sterious 
agents  wdio  offer  themselves  to  be  the  instruments  of 
vengeance  for  family  or  political  hate,  among  the  .Jap- 
anese nobility,  address  themselves  in  caiTvinw  out  their 
bloody  plans.  Like  certain  streets  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Tower  of  London,  the  suburb  of  Sinagawa 
is  abandoned  by  the  ])olice  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  night.  Ev^en  the  women  sally  out  upon  the  To- 
kaido,  and  assail  the  belated  travellers,  in  order  to 
force  them  into  the  houses  where  they  serve.  The 
lonins  are  so  entirely  conscious  of  the  abject  condition 
in  which  they  live,  that  when  they  issue  from  their 
lairs,  they  usually  take  the  precaution  of  concealing 
the  face  under  a large  hat  with  depressed  brim,  or  by 
means  of  a piece  of  crape  in  which  they  envelop  the 
head,  so  that  nothincr  but  the  eves  can  be  seen.  In 

’ o 

the  immediate  neighborhood  of  this  class,  on  the  higher 
parts  of  the  Takanawa  quarter,  the  Japanese  govern 
ment  has  established  the  foreign  legations.” 


ENTRANCE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  LEGATION,  YEDO 


CHAPTER  X. 


LIFE  IN  YEDO. 

A CCORDTNG  to  a Japanese  proverb,’’  says  M. 

Humbert,  “ one  must  live  in  Yedo,  in  order  to 
be  happy. 

“If  tliis  be  true,  happiness  is  not  easily  attained 
by  Europeans  living  in  Japan.  At  the  time  of  my 
visit,  only  the  diplomatic  agents  enjoyed  the  right  of 
residing  in  the  caj)ital  of  the  Tycoon  ; and  two  or 
three  years’  experience  of  the  conditions  attached  to 
the  exercise  of  this  privilege  had  led  all  of  them  to 
decide  to  transfer  their  real  domiciles  to  Yokohama. 
They  gave  the  impression  of  having  been  treated  at 
Yedo  very  much  like  prisoners  of  distinction,  free  to  go 
and  come  within  a certain  radius,  and  watched  by  day 
and  by  night  with  the  most  unwearied  solicitude.  Nev- 
ertheless, in  spite  of  the  annoyances  of  this  re])ellaTit 
policy  of  the  Japanese  authorities,  it  must  be  remarked 
in  its  favor,  that  its  etfect  was  to  excite  the  spirit  of  in- 
vestigation to  the  highest  point,  by  adding  the  attrac- 
tion of  mystery,  the  spur  of  difficulties  to  be  over- 
come. to  the  interest  of  the  field  of  study. 

“We  owe  to  M.  Lindau  an  excellent  general  esti 
mate  of  the  extent,  the  population,  and  the  topography 
of  the  city  of  Yedo.  According  to  his  calculation  this 
capital,  so  remarkable  in  all  res))ects,  covers  a space 


96 


FRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


of  eiglity-fiv'e  square  kilometres  (about  twentj-threo 
square  miles,  English),  and  contains  about  one  million 
eight  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  He  adds  that  in 
1858,  the  elements  of  this  enormous  population  were 
thus  divided : the  respectable  middle-class,  merchants, 
and  artisans,  572,848;  the  daimios,  their  retainers  and 
followers,  very  nearly  500,000 ; the  house  and  court  of 
the  Tycoon,  estimated  at  180,000  ; the  members  of  the. 
pnesthood  at  probably  200,000  ; travellers  and  pil- 
grims, also  200,000  ; beggars  and  parias,  50,000.  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that,  in  spite  of  the  fluctuations 
to  which  the  population  of  Yedo  is  subjected,  more 
than  that  of  anv  other  city,  the  calculations  of  M.  Lin- 
dau  may  be  adopted  at  present  (1868),  as  being  as 
nearly  as  possible  correct. 

“ The  southern  part  of  the  city,  in  which  the  for- 
eign legations  are  established,  contains  eight  wards, 

“ > ’O' 

occupying  all  the  space  comprised  between  the  suburb 
of  Sinagawa  on  the  south,  the  bay  on  the  east,  the 
outer  moat  of  the  Tycoon’s  castle  on  the  north,  and 
the  fields  of  the  province  of  Mousasi,  on  the  west.  All 
these  southern  quarters  of  Yedo  ai'e  essentially  ple- 
beian. They  even  contain  a large  agricultural  popula- 
tion, occupied  with  the  cultivation  of  kitchen-gardens, 
rice-fields,  and  all  the  arable  lands  which  the  habita- 
tions have  not  yet  cov'ered.  The  latter  are  a multitude 
of  miserable  dwellings,  tenanted  by  fishers,  laborers, 
mechanics,  retail  merchants,  officers  of  the  lowest  rank, 
and  the  proprietors  of  the  commonest  eating-houses. 

“ A few  seignorial  residences  interrupt  the  uniform- 
ity of  the  wooden  buildings  by  the  monotonous  lines 
of  their  long,  whitewashed  walls.  The  temples  and 


LIFE  IN  YEDO. 


21 


dwellings  of  the  bonzes  are  scattered  everywhere,  ex- 
cept in  the  two  bay-quarters  ; Takanawa,  alone,  has 
more  than  thirty  of  them.  But  the  devotional  spirit 
must  have  emigrated  to  the  northern  part  of  the  city ; 
for  tlie  government  has  conveniently  selected  all  the 
buildings  necessary  for  the  reception  of  embassies  and 
the  residence  of  foreign  legations,  from  among  the 
teni])les  of  the  southern  quarter. 

“ Since  1858,  the  embassies  which  the  Tycoon  has 
received  have  generally  reached  his  capital  by  sea. 
One  must  not  suppose,  however,  that  such  an  event  is 
marked  by  discharges  of  artillery,  or  any  other  impos- 
ing features ; if  the  foreign  representatives  desired  the 
like,  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  could  succeed.  They 
are  forced  to  pass  from  one  deception  to  another. 

“In  the  first  place,  the  voyage  fron^.  Yokohama  to 
Yedo  suffices  to  banish  all  preconceived  ideas  of  the 
approach  to  a sea-port  which  has  nearly  two  millions  of 
inhabitants.  The  distance  is  about  fifteen  nautical 
miles.  One  would  expect  to  pass  through  an  uninter- 
rupted fleet  of  junks  going  to,  or  coming  from,  the 
great  city,  on  its  only  maritime  highway  ; but  there  is 
no  such  fleet.  After  leaving  the  anchorao-e  at  Kana- 
gawa,  the  bay  is  almost  deserted,  and  even  the  fishing- 
boats  do  not  appear  until  after  passing  the  sand-bars  of 
Kawasaki.  In  Japan,  there  is  almost  a complete  ab- 
sence of  commerce  by  sea.  A few  junks  are  engaged 
in  the  coasting  trade  in  the  bay  of  Yedo,  but  they 
scarcely  pass  the  limits  of  the  first  line  of  customs: 
they  stop  at  Usaga,  whence  their  cargoes  are  sent  to 
the  capital  on  pack-horses.  The  Tokaido  and  other 
high  roads  of  secondary  importance,  are  the  main 


98 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


arteries  which  supply  Yedo,  and  tliey  appear  all  the 
more  animated  from  their  contrast  with  the  aban- 
doned watery  ways. 

“ No  unwalled  city  presents  a more  inhospitable 
appearance  than  Yedo,  when  seen  from  the  bay.  It 
resembles  an  immense  park,  the  entrance  to  which  is 
prohibited.  The  richly  wooded  hills  are  dotted  with 
chalets  and  old  temples  with  enormous  roofs  ; at  their 
feet  extend  long  streets  of  wooden  houses  and  some 
buildings  with  white  walls  ; but  along  the  whole  great 
extent  of  the  arc  of  shore,  from  Sinao;awa  to  tlie  land- 
ing-place,  nothing  can  be  distinguished  which  answers 
to  our  notions  of  quays,  port,  or  embarkation.  Every- 
where there  are  walls,  boarded  inclosures,  palisades ; 
no  jetties,  steps,  or  anything  whatever  which  seems  to 
invite  a landing.  Even  the  place  of  entrance  to  the 
city  is  concealed  behind  a palisade  of  large  piles,  and 
consists  only  of  a few  old  planks  laid  on  supports,  and 
connecting  with  a terrace  in  front  of  the  custom- 
house. 

“ Here  the  officials  of  the  Japanese  government  wel- 
come the  representatives  of  foreign  nations,  and  beg 
them  to  accept  the  services  of  the  guard  of  honor 
which  the  Tycoon  has  appointed  for  their  protection. 
These  formalities  over,  the  principal  personages  of  the 
two  nations  mount  their  horses  or  palanquins,  and  the 
procession,  properly  organized,  issues  from  its  prison 
by  the  gate  opening  on  the  Tokaido.  After  marching 
for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  between  two  crowds  of 
the  curious  of  both  sexes,  gathered  from  the  shops, 
the  tea-houses,  and  the  baths  of  the  neighborhood, 
in  a neglige which  is  doubtless  very  picturesque  but 


AMERICAN  LECATION,  YEDO. 


LIFE  IN  YEDO. 


99 


which  does  not  add  to  the  dignity  of  tlie  spectacle,  the 
hills  of  Takanawa  are  ascended,  the  procession  enters 
the  solitary  alleys  of  this  cloistered  region,  and  soon 
reaches  the  threshold  of  the  other  privileged  prison 
which  bears  the  name  of  ‘ Lecation.’ 

“ The  structures  of  the  temples  of  Tjoodji,  seat  of 
the  Dutch  Legation,  had  been  put  at  my  disposal  by 
the  representative  of  Holland,  in  Japan.  As  they  were 
then  unoccupied,  they  served  as  a residence  to  tlie 
members  of  the  Swiss  Legation,  not  only  for  excursions 
to  the  capital,  but  also  for  a prolonged  sojourn  there. 
If  the  peace  of  His  Tycoonal  Majesty’s  Government 
had  not  been  so  gravely  troubled  thereby,  I should 
have  willingly  passed  several  of  the  summer  months 
in  the  Tjoodji.  The  little  deserted  temple  is  sur- 
rounded, on  all  sides,  with  other  sacred  places  which 
are  almost  equally  solitary,  and  there  the  quiet  of  the 
country  may  be  enjoyed,  in  proximity  to  the  animation 
of  the  great  streets  of  the  city. 

“ The  principal  facade  of  the  formerly  sacred  build- 
ings is  half  concealed  behind  clumps  of  evergreen 
trees.  On  approaching  the  portico,  I found  it  occupied 
by  a group  of  Japanese  officers.  One  of  them  saluted 
me  in  Dutch,  announcing  that  he  had  been  charged  by 
his  gcvernment  to  offer  me  his  services  as  interpreter  ; 
he  then  j)resented  to  me  the  captain  of  the  guard,  who, 
he  informed  me,  was  one  of  the  aids-de-camp  of  the 
Tycoon.  The  latter  had  established  himself  in  one  of 
the  ancient  sanctuaries  opening  on  the  portico,  and 
declared  that  he  should  pass  his  nights  there. 

“ At  one  of  the  extremities  of  the  mass  of  buildinjcs, 
we  established  the  kitchen  and  a little  studio  for  the  use 


100 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


of  the  skillful  photographer  Beato,  who  had  recently 
arrived  in  Yokohama  from  India  and  China  ; and  w'e 
reserved  a long  gallery  for  the  exposition  of  such  objects 
of  art  and  industry  as  mij^ht  be  brought  to  us  for  exam- 
illation.  The  other  extremity,  which  formed  a semi- 
circular inclosure  in  the  rear  of  the  temple,  contained 
three  adjoining  rooms  : the  salon,  my  bedroom,  and 
the  dining-room,  all  three  surrounded  by  an  open  gal- 
lery. This  was  the  quietest  and  most  agreeable  por- 
tion of  the  bonzerie.  A. pond,  bordered  with  iris  and 
water-lilies,  occupied  the  centre  of  the  inclosure ; it 
was  fed  by  a spring  which  issued  from  a neighbor- 
ing grotto,  draped  with  climbing  plants.  Beside  this 
grotto,  in  a niche,  surrounded  with  foliage,  there  was 
an  ancient  idol  of  sandstone,  with  its  own  little  altar 
still  remaininfr.  A rustic  bridge  across  the  brook  led 
to  a path  which  wound  among  the  trees  and  the  rocks 
up  to  the  highest  palisades  of  the  inclosure.  There, 
under  a shelter  of  pines  and  laurels,  was  a rock-hewn 
place  of  rest,  whence  the  eye  overlooked  the  gar- 
dens and  buildings  of  the  Tjoodji,  and  the  forts  and 
anchorage  in  the  distance. 

“ At  the  hour  of  sunset,  this  little  picture  was  full 
of  beauty.  The  sky  and  the  bay  wei-e  enlivened  by 
the  richest  colors  ; the  foliage  of  the  hills  gleamed  in  a 
sudden  illumination,  and  the  pond  below  was  tinted 
with  purple.  Then  the  shadows  invaded  the  verdant 
inclosure  and  by  degrees  mounted  to  the  summits  of 
the  trees  which  surrounded  it.  The  birds  from  the 
strand  came  in  great  numbers  to  roost  there.  Soon 
the  tufted  tops  of  the  foliage  were  darkly  cut  against 
the  silvery  sky,  and  the  pond  reflected,  like  a mirror, 
the  tremblina:  rays  of  die  stars. 


LIFE  IN  YEDO. 


101 


“ Then  the  nicht-fjuard  becran  to  visit,  in  silence,  all 
the  hidden  nooks  and  corners  of  the  j)lace.  A sentinel, 
furnished  with  a lantei-n  of  colored  paper,  was  posted 
at  interv'als.  The  Japanese  guards  squatted  down 
quietly,  with  these  lantei'iis  at  tlieir  feet.  One  was 
at  the  angle  of  the  portico  of  the  salon ; another  at 
the  resting-place  on  the  heiglit ; a third,  near  the 
bridge  over  the  brook  ; others,  again,  behind  the 
temple,  at  the  door  of  my  bedroom,  and  near  the  din- 
ing-room. The  patrols  were  promptly  made.  When 
they  approached,  the  sentinels  rose  and  cried  ‘ Dale- 
da?'  The  reply  was  the  pass-word  for  the  night. 
The  captain  of  the  guard  gave  it  to  me  regularly  in 
writing,  in  Japanese  and  Dutch. 

“ The  spectacle  of  this  military  array  followed  me 
even  to  my  bed.  Across  the  paper  screens  of  my  rooms 
I could  see  the  lanterns  of  the  sentinels  shining  in  the 
garden  and  on  the  portico  ; and  that,  which  ought  to 
have  given  me  the  highest  sense  of  security,  was,  that 
no  obstacle  intervened  between  my  guards  and  myself, 
for  all  our  doors  were  movable  and  quite  free  of  locks. 
With  the  exception  of  the  Toodji,  I cannot  speak,  from 
experience,  of  the  interiors  of  the  foreign  legations. 
At  the  time  of  my  visit  they  were  closed,  the  members 
of  the  diplomatic  corps  having  retired  to  Yokohama. 
I have  reason  to  believe  that,  with  some  slight  varia- 
tions,  they  offer  to  their  hosts  conditions  of  life  very 
analogous  to  those  which  I have  here  outlined. 

“ The  most  ancient  of  the  foreign  residences  at 
Yedo  is  that  of  Akabane,  situated  in  the  quarter  of  that 
name.  The  Japanese  government  designed  it,  in  1858, 
for  a caravanserai  of  all  ambassadors.  They  were  there 


102 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


furnished  with  quarters,  without  furniture,  or  any 
otlier  comforts  than  matting  and  tlie  native  screens. 
One  after  tlie  other,  M.  Donker-Curtius  (Holland), 
Admiral  Poutiatine  (Russia),  Baron  Gros  (France), 
and  Count  Eulenburg  (Prussia),  lodged  there.  Since 
1861,  however,  the  Akaban^  has  not  been  occupied. 
The  American  Legation  occupies  the  sanctuary  of 
Djemfkousi,  in  the  vicinity.  When  1 visited  it,  there 
remained  only  the  temple,  the  belfry,  and  some  out- 
houses. All  the  rest  of  the  structures  had  been  leveled 
to  the  earth  by  a fire,  accompanied  with  works  of  de- 
molition and  salvage,  the  efficacy  of  which  I could 
appreciate  from  the  circumstance  that  the  books  saved 
from  the  flames  had  been  tlirown  into  the  tank  for 
preservation  ! 

“ The  Tosendji,  the  seat  of  the  British  Legation,  is 
the  most  beautiful  and  spacious  of  all  the  foreign 
residences.  This  ancient  sanctuary,  the  property  of 
Prince  Shendai,  w’as  put  at  the  disposition  of  Lord 
Elgin,  by  the  government  of  the  Tycoon,  in  1858.  It  is 
more  than  half  a mile  to  the  southward  of  the  Tjoodji, 
and  is  bordered  by  hills,  adorned  with  avenues  and 
groves,  where  the  bamboo,  the  palm,  the  azalea,  the 
weeping  willow,  and  the  chestnut,  are  grouped  with 
pines  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  height.  But 
there  is  scarcely  a nook  of  this  charming  residence 
which  does  not  recall  some  gloomy  memory.  The  foot 
of  the  flag-staff  has  been  dyed  by  the  blood  of  the 
Japanese  interpreter  Denkoushki ; the  steps  of  the 
portico,  the  court-yard,  the  temple,  the  first  story  of 
the  legation,  became,  in  the  nocturnal  attack  of  July 
8,  1861,  the  scene  of  g fi-ightful  struggle,  which  left 


LIFE  IN  YEDO. 


103 


five  dead  and  eighteen  wounded  on  the  field ; and 
finally,  on  the  verandah,  toward  the  garden,  a year 
later,  two  English  marines  fell,  after  having  mortally 
wounded  one  of  their  assassins. 

“ The  diplomatic  agents  of  the  powers  which  have 
concluded  treaties  with  Japan  have  not  remained  in- 
active, one  may  well  believe,  in  view  of  the  situation 
thus  created  for  them  in  Yedo.  After  maturely  delib- 
erating upon  the  course  which  they  should  take,  they 
exacted  and  obtained  from  the  Tycoon  the  concession 
of  a locality  where  it  would  be  possible  to  unite  the 
forces  of  all  the  legations,  to  put  them  in  a state  of 
defense,  and  secure  their  communications  with  the 
vessels  of  war  at  the  anchorage. 

“ There  was  then,  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
quarter  of  Takanawa,  a very  spacious  public  garden 
called  Goten-yama,  on  a cluster  of  hills  commanding 
the  Tokaido,  the  anchorage  and  the  battervof  Odaiwa. 
It  was  agreed  that  this  [dace  oft’ei’ed  all  the  desirable 
advantages,  and,  without  further  delay,  the  axe  was 
laid  to  the  orchards  of  blossoming  peach  trees  and  the 
groves  of  cedars,  where  the  citizens  of  Yedo  were 
wont  to  come  with  their  families,  to  contemplate  the 
view  of  the  bay,  to  take  their  tea,  drink  their  saK, 
and  enjoy  the  musical  or  saltatory  performances  of 
the  beauties  of  the  neighborhood.  When  all  had 
been  well  destroyed,  graded,  leveled ; when  the  new 
Britannic  Legation  displaying  its  imposing  facade,  its 
elegant  galleries,  and  its  immense  roofs,  had  given  to 
the  nobles  and  peasants  of  Yedo  a foretaste  of  the 
magnificence  which  the  future  quarter  of  the  Ministers 
of  the  West  promised  to  their  city,  all  at  once,  on  a 


104 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


fine  winter  night,  the  anchorage  was  made  splendid  by 
an  immense  bonfire  kindled  on  the  Goten-yama.  As 
soon  as  it  had  been  completed,  the  first  European 
palace  erected  in  the  capital  of  the  Tycoon  burned 
from  top  to  bottom.  The  others  remain,  either  as 
foundations  only  or  as  plans  on  paper,  and  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  powers  friendly  to  Japan  still  reside  at 
Yokohama  ” [in  1868]. 


NOON  SCENE  ON  A JAPANESE  CANAL. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 

**rriHROUGH  tlie  southern  suburbs,  wliich  stretched 

-L  toward  the  country,  to  the  southwest  of  our 
residence,  we  discovered  but  one  respectable  and  well 
kept  road,  — that  which  led  to  the  principal  temple  of 
Megouro.  Nearly  all  the  Europeans  who  have  lived 
in  Yedo  know  iMengourou,  as  this  antique  sanctuary 
and  the  graceful  tea-houses  around  it  are  vulgarly 
called.  A little  beyond,  a hill  cut  into  the  shape  of 
Fusi-yama  attracts,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  es- 
pecially at  the  time  when  the  orchards  blossom,  a 
crowd  of  native  ju’omenaders,  belonging  to  the  lower 
classes  of  Yedo  society. 

“ The  dwellings  of  the  petite  noblesse,  that  is,  the 
subalterns  in  the  Tycoon’s  service,  are  scattered  in 
great  numbers  through  the  district,  and  there  are  also 
two  race-courses  for  the  exercises  of  the  officers  in  horse- 
manship. In  this  neighborhood,  however,  we  found 
neither  palaces  nor  large  temples.  Two  other  adjoin- 
ing quarters  exhibited  a few  rustic  dwellings  of  the 
bonzes,  and  some  ancient  monuments  shaded  by  great 
cedar  trees  ; but  we  were  impatient  to  discover  the 
most  interesting  parts  of  the  city,  and  finally  deter- 
mined to  examine  the  northern  districts.  After  hav- 
ing carefully  traced  out  a route  on  the  excellent  Japan 


106 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


ese  map  of  Yedo,  we  announced  to  our  yakounins,  one 
fine  dav,  that  we  were  ffoinor  to  make  an  excursion  on 
foot  in  the  direction  of  the  Castle. 

“This  information  did  not  especially  please  them; 
for  creatlv  as  thev  delight  in  escorting  their  foreign 
hosts  on  horseback,  and  in  trotting  with  them  rapidly 
through  the  long  streets  of  the  capital,  it  is  equally  dis- 
agreeable to  them  to  take  part  in  pedestrian  excursions 
during  which  their  vigilance  is  constantly  racked  by 
the  curiosity  of  the  Occidentals. 

“Two  of  the  officials  of  the  Legation,  who  had 
gained  the  good  graces  of  the  principal  officers  of  the 
guard,  hit  upon  the  idea  of  furnishing  them  with  a 
subject  of  distraction,  for  the  route.  They  persuaded 
them  to  profit  by  the  occasion,  and  learn  to  keep  step 
in  walking.  All  the  yakounins,  one  after  the  other, 
set  themselves  to  work,  to  follow  conscientiously  the 
recommendation  and  example  of  their  instructors. 
The  citizens  of  Yedo  stopped  to  observe  the  unusual 
movement,  and  even  the  officers  could  not  refrain  from 
occasionally  looking  down  and  watching  their  feet. 
Sometimes,  even,  delicately  lifting  their  broad  silk 
petticoat-pantaloons,  they  presented  a superb  array  of 
naked  calves,  blue  cotton  socks,  and  straw  sandals. 

“ As  our  march  was  further  prolonged,  their  head- 
dresses, also,  suffered  an  ingenious  modification.  The 
yakounins  took  off  their  heavy  lacquered  hats,  and  sus- 
j)ended  them  at  their  girdles  like  bucklers  ; after  which, 
seizing  a fan,  which  they  always  carry  behind  the  neck, 
under  the  collar  of  their  jacket,  they  converted  it  into 
a visor  by  thrusting  the  end  under  the  knob  of  hair 
which  surmounts  their  shaven  foreheads.  The  tableau 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 


107 


would  not  be  complete,  if  I did  not  add  that  we  our- 
selv'es,  in  I’eijard  to  costume,  were  very  nearly  in  har- 
mony with  our  surroundings.  Yedo  is  perhaps  the 
only  city  of  the  world  where  the  European  succeeds 
in  liberating  himself  from  the  despotism  of  fashion.  It 
is  impossible  to  resist  the  example  of  such  an  immense 
population,  which,  except  at  court  and  during  solemn 
festivals,  knows  no  other  rule  in  relation  to  garments, 
but  that  of  dressing  as  one  pleases  and  undressing  at 
will,  leaving  to  o!ie’s  neighbor  the  fullest  liberty  of 
doing  the  same  thing. 

“ Thus  the  appearance  of  our  party,  which  would 
have  occasioned  a mob  in  any  densely  po|inlated  part 
of  Europe,  did  not  cause  the  least  sensation  in  the  cap- 
ital of  the  Tycoon.  People  looked  at  us,  of  course, 
with  a very  legitimate  curiosity  ; but  fingers  were  only 
occasionally  pointed  at  our  cigars  or  at  the  reyolvers  in 
our  belts. 

From  morninji  until  night,  the  losv  streets  and 
quays  of  Takanawa  are  crowded  with  people.  The 
stable  population  of  the  quarter  seemed  to  me  to  have 
no  other  industrv  except  to  raise,  in  one  manner  or 
another,  a light  tribute  from  those  arriving  and  depart- 
inor.  Here,  tobacco  is  cut  and  sold  ; there,  rice  is 
hulled  and  made  into  biscuits ; everywhere  saki  is  sold, 
tea,  dried  fish,  water-melons,  an  infinite  variety  of 
cheap  fruits  and  other  comestibles,  spread  on  tables  in 
the  open  air,  or  under  sheds  and  on  the  shelves  of  in- 
numerable restaurants.  In  all  directions,  coolies,  boat- 
men, and  bearers  of  cargoe^offer  their  services.  In 
some  lateral  streets,  stalls  may  be  hired  for  pack-horses, 
and  stables  for  the  buffaloes  which  bring  to  market  the 


108 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


products  of  the  surrounding  country.  They  are  liar- 
nessed  to  small  rustic  carts,  the  only  wheeled  vehicles 
which  one  meets  in  Yedo. 

“ The  singers,  the  dancers,  the  wandering  jugglers 
who  come  to  try  their  success  in  the  capital,  make  their 
first  appearance  at  the  doors  of  the  tea-houses  of  Taka- 
nawa.  Amono;  the  sino-ers  there  are  those  who  form 
a privileged  class,  but  subjected  to  a certain  supervision 
by  the  police.  They  may  be  known  by  their  large  flat 
hats,  thrown  back  from  the  temples  ; they  always  go 
in  pairs,  or  in  fours  when  two  dancers  accompany  the 
two  singers. 

“ The  favorite  jugglers  at  the  Japanese  street-cor- 
ners are  young  boys,  who,  before  commencing  their 
tricks,  conceal  their  heads  in  large  hoods,  surmounted 
by  a tuft  of  cock’s  feathers  and  a small  scarlet  mask 
representing  the  muzzle  of  a dog.  These  poor  children, 
in  bending  and  curving  themselves,  one  u])on  the  other, 
to  the  monotonous  sound  of  the  tambourine  of  their 
conductor,  present  the  appearance  of  a really  grotesque 
and  fantastic  struo-gle  between  two  animals,  with  mon- 
strous  heads  and  human  limbs. 

“ In  the  deafening  sounds  of  all  these  diversions  in 
the  spaces  filled  by  the  public,  there  was  frequently 
mixed  the  noise  of  the  cymbals  and  bells  of  the  mendi- 
cant brotherho'od.  I saw,  for  the  first  time,  some 
whose  heads  were  not  tonsured,  and  inquired  what  the 
order  was  to  which  they  belonged.  Our  interpreter 
answered  that  they  were  laymen,  simple  citizens  of 
Yedo,  making  a business^f  devotion.  Although  they 
were  all  similarly  clad  in  white,  in  token  of  mourning 
or  penitence,  those  who  canned  a bell,  a long  stick, 


LITTLE  JUUULEUS  IN  THE  STUEET3  OF  YEDO 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 


109 


some  books  in  a basket,  and  wore  a large  white  hat 
with  a picture  of  Fusi-yama  on  tlie  side,  were  return- 
ing from  a pilgrimage  to  the  holy  mountain,  made  by 
])ublic.  cliarity ; while  the  others,  with  a cymbal  at  the 
girdle,  an  immense  black  and  yellow  hat,  and  a heavy 
box  on  the  bac-k,  were  probably  small  ruined  merchants, 
who  liad  become  colporteurs  and  exhibitors  of  idols,  in 
the  ])ay  of  some  monastery. 

“ On  the  heights  above  the  landing-place,  a long 
street  leaves  the  Tokaido,  cuts  obliquely  through  the 
chain  of  hills  where  the  legations  are  situated,  and 
traverses  in  a straight  line,  from  south  to  north,  the 
northern  part  of  Takanawa.  We  followed  this  street 
to  the  end,  and  passed,  successively,  through  three  very 
distinct  zones  of  the  social  life  of  Yedo.  The  first, 
with  its  motley  crowd  of  people  living  in  the  open  air, 
I have  already  described. 

“ Behind  our  monastic  hills  we  found  a population 
entirely  sedentary,  occupied,  within  their  dwellings,  in 
various  manual  labors.  The  work-shops  were  an- 
nounced, at  a distance,  by  significant  signs,  — some- 
times a board  cut  in  the  form  of  a sandal,  sometimes, 
an  enormous  umbrella  of  waxed  paper,  spread  open 
like  an  awning,  over  the  shop  ; or  a quantity  of  straw 
hats  of  all  sizes,  dangling  from  the  peak  of  the  roof 
down  to  the  door.  We  see,  in  passing,  the  armorers 
and  polishers,  busy  in  mounting  coats  of  mail,  iron 
war-finis,  and  sabres.  An  old  artisan,  naked,  crouched 
on  a mat,  pulls  the  bellows  of  the  forge  with  his  left 
heel,  and  at  the  same  time  hammers  ivith  his  right 
hand  the  iron  bar  wdiich  his  left  hand  holds  on  the  an- 
vil. His  son,  also  naked,  takes  the  iron  bars  with  the 


110 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


tongs  and  passes  them  to  his  father,  as  they  become 
red-liot. 

Little  bv  little  the  road  which  we  are  following 
becomes  deserted.  We  enter  the  vast  solitude  of  a 
collection  of  seignorial  residences.  On  our  right  ex- 
tend  the  magnificent  shades  of  the  park  of  the  Prince 
of  Satsouma ; on  our  left  the  wall  of  inclosure  of  a 
palace  of  the  Prince  of  Arima.  When  we  had  turned 
the  northwestern  angle  of  this  wall,  we  found  our- 
selves  before  the  principal  front  of  the  building,  oppo- 
site to  which  there  was  a plantation  of  trees,  bathed  by 
the  waters  of  a limpifl  river  which  separates  the  quar- 
ter of  Takanawa  from  that  of  Atakosta. 

“ Mr.  Beato  set  to  work  to  procure  a photograph  of 
this  peaceful  picture,  when  two  officers  of  the  prince 
hastily  approached  him,  and  insisted  that  he  should  de- 
sist from  the  operation.  M.  Metman  begged  them  to 
go  first  and  ascertain  the  commands  of  their  master. 
The  officers  went  to  deliver  the  message  ; returning  in 
a few  minutes,  they  declared  that  the  prince  absolutely 
refused  to  permit  that  any  view  whatever  of  his  palace 
should  be  taken.  Beato  bowed  respectfully,  and  or- 
dered the  porters  to  carry  away  the  instrument.  The 
officers  withdrew,  satisfied,  without  suspecting  that  the 
artist  had  had  time  to  take  two  negatives  during  their 
brief  absence. 

“ The  yakounins  of  our  escort,  impassive  witnesses 
of  the  scene,  were  unanimous  in  applauding  the  suc- 
cess of  the  stratagem.  But  when  the  artist  announced 
his  intention  of  also  taking,  in  the  neighborhood,  a 
photograjdi  of  the  cemetery  of  the  Tycoons,  it  became 
their  tuim  to  oppose  a resistance  to  the  plan,  which  no 


1. 


JAPANESE  BLACKSlIITIXa 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 


Ill 


arguments  could  bend.  We  were  even  obliged  to  give 
up  the  idea  of  entering  the  sepulchral  grounds,  although 
we  could  very  distinctly  see  the  high  red  pagoda  and 
the  sombre  clumps  of  cypress. 

We  crossed  a river  by  an  arched  bridge,  not  far  from 
the  place  where  the  American  secretary,  Heusken, 
was  murdered  ; and,  leaving  on  our  right  some  houses 
uhich  a recent  great  conflagration  had  spared,  we 
passed  an  open  space,  with  a field  for  archery  on  one 
side,  and  on  the  other  the  walls  behind  which  rise  the 
groves  and  temple-roofs  of  Soiosti,  the  great  monastery 
which  has  the  honor  of  receiving  the  Tycoons  in  their 
last  earthly  dwelling.  They  rest  there  under  the  com- 
bined })rotection  of  the  two  religions  of  the  empire. 
Biuldhism,  it  is  true,  enjoys  a supremacy  in  this  place, 
and  possesses  more  than  seventy  sacred  edifices ; but 
the  ancient  gods,  Hatchirnan,  Benten,  Inari,  have  each 
their  chapels,  and  there  is  a grand  temple  dedicated  to 
the  worship  of  the  Kamis. 

“In  this  direction  is  the  Tycoon’s  place  of  embark- 
ation, in  the  island  of  Amagoten,  which  forms  a regu- 
lar parallelogram,  and  is  reached  by  two  bridges,  pro- 
hibited  to  the  jniblic.  I have  made  the  circuit  of  the 
island  in  the  consular  boat : the  walls  of  inclosure,  the 
steps,  the  pavilions  of  the  landing-place,  the  over- 
shadowing masses  of  verdure,  are  admirable  in  their 
grand  simplicity.  The  great  trees  which  line  both 
sides  of  the  river  shelter  its  deep,  pure  waters  under 
their  dense  roofs  of  foliage.  The  ministers  of  France, 
Holland,  England,  and  America,  made  a combined 
ertbrt  to  obtain  from  the  Japanese  government  the 
cession  of  the  island,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 


112 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


their  legations  there  ; but  they  did  not  succeed,  be- 
cause  the  execution  of  the  plan  would  have  exacted 
the  use  of  the  whole  island,  while  the  government  was 
only  willing  to  abandon  a very  small  part  of  it. 

“ We  continued  our  journey  northwards.  On  the 
left  fourteen  small  adjacent  temples,  those  of  Saisoostji, 
extend  along  the  foot  of  the  hills  of  Atagosa-yama, 
separated  by  a large  brook  from  the  highway.  Each 
of  these  temples  has  its  special  bridge,  its  gateway,  its 
little  level  of  turf,  inclosed  by  chapels  and  the  dwell- 
ings of  the  bonzes ; while,  in  the  rear,  may  be  distin- 
guished the  chapel  of  ablutions,  the  sacred  grove,  and 
the  roofs  of  the  sanctuary.  The  sixth,  however,  is  an 
exception  to  the  others.  When  we  have  crossed  the 
threshold,  we  see  before  us  a gi’eat  paved  court-yard, 
in  the  midst  of  which  stands  a majestic  altar  of  granite. 
Then,  after  passing  through  the  sacred  gate,  we  find 
ourselves  face  to  fiice  with  two  candelabra  placed  at 
the  foot  of  an  esplanade,  reached  by  a staircase  ; then 
there  is  a second,  bordered  by  huge  trees,  the  branches 
of  which  interlace  like  the  arches  of  a Gothic  cathe- 
dral. Throu<rh  the  foliase  we  distinguish  a broad  stone 

O O 

stairway,  the  summit  of  which  is  lost  to  sight  behind 
the  masses  of  verdure. 

“ We  gradually  mount  to  the  summit  of  the  hill  : 
there  are  about  a hundred  steps.  On  the  right  hand, 
a path  of  easier  ascent  runs  obliquely  along  the  wooded 
slopes,  by  means  of  terraces  which  are  provided  with 
resting-places.  A ruined  oratory,  with  two  insignifi- 
cant idols,  one  standing  on  a lotus,  the  other  seated  on 
a tortoise,  and  long  covered  galleries,  radiating  around 
A tea-house,  occupy  the  summit  of  Atagosa-yama. 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 


113 


The  young  waitresses  attached  to  the  place  hasten  to 
serve  us  with  refresliments,  and  we  take  a moment’s 
rest  betbre  visiting  the  pavilions,  which  at  the  two  ex- 
tremities of  the  terrace  rise  freely  against  the  sky. 

“ At  last  the  moment  comes  when  the  whole  city  is 
revealed  to  the  view.  We  will  begin  with  the  southern 
pavilion  : at  first  the  eyes  are  dazzled  with  the  extent 
and  brilliancy  of  the  picture.  The  sun  sinks  to  the 
horizon,  in  a cloudless  sky  ; the  transparency  of  the 
atmosphere  allows  us  to  distinguish  the  forts  on  the 
luminous  surface  of  tlie  bay.  But  over  all  the  space 
extending  fi-om  the  anchorage  to  tlie  foot  of  the  hill 
upon  which  we  stand,  the  vision  knows  not  where  to 
linger:  there  is  a veritable  ocean  of  long  streets,  of 
white  walls  and  gray  roofs.  Nothing  interrupts  the 
monotony  of  the  panorama,  except,  here  and  there, 
the  dark  foliage  of  clumps  of  trees,  or  some  temple, 
the  gable  of  which  towers  like  a wave  over  the  undu- 
lating lines  of  the  dwellings.  In  the  nearer  neighbor- 
hood, a broad  cavity  drawn  across  the  streets,  as  if  a 
hurricane  had  passed  that  way,  marks  the  course  of  a 
recent  conflagration,  and,  still  further  off,  the  sombre 
mass  of  the  hills  consecrated  to  the  sepulchres  of  the 
Tycoons  presents  the  appearance  of  a solitary  island 
rising  out  of  a ramncr  sea. 

“ The  panorama  furnished  by  the  northern  pavilion  is 
still  more  uniform,  if  possible.  It  embraces  the  quarters 
specially  inhabited  by  the  nobility,  and  the  ramparts 
and  leafy  parks  of  the  Imperial  Castle  bound  the  view, 
on  the  horizon.  The  daimio-yaskis,  or  seignorial  resi- 
dences, to  which  we  improperly  give  the  name  of  pal- 
aces, only  differ  from  each  other  in  their  extent  and 
8 


114 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


dimensions.  Tlie  most  opulent  and  the  most  modest 
present  the  same  type  of  architecture,  the  same  simple 
cliaracter.  The  external  circuit  consists  of  rancres  of 

o 

buildings  reserved  for  the  servants  and  men-at-arms  of 
the  prince  : they  are  but  a single  story  in  height,  and 
form  a long  square  which  is  always  surrounded  by  a 
ditch.  A single  roof  covers  them  all,  with  no  other 
break  in  it  than  the  front  of  a portal,  generally  inserted 
in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  sides  of  the  parallelogram. 
There  is  not  often  any  other  e.xit  through  the  outer 
wall  than  through  this  portal.  The  windows  in  the 
buildings  are  very  numerous,  low  and  broad,  regularly 
set  in  two  parallel  rows,  and  usually  closed  with  wooden 
gratings. 

“ In  the  interior,  a number,  more  or  less  considerable, 
of  low  houses,  divided  into  regular  compartments,  like 
the  barracks  of  the  vakounins  at  Benten,  are  arranged 
diagonally  all  around,  or,  at  least,  along  the  longer 
sides  of  the  inclosing  buildings.  Here  the  seignorial 
troops  encamp.  An  open  space  leads  to  the  inner  in- 
closure, which  is  the  residence  proper.  The  depend- 
encies of  the  ]>alace  face  the  military  quarter.  The 
principal  j)arts  of  the  dwelling  and  the  verandah  open 
upon  an  interior  court  and  the  garden,  which  has 
always  a pond  surrounded  with  fresh  foliage.  Such  is 
the  silent  inviolate  asylum,  where  the  haughty  daimio 
withdraws  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  during  the  six 
months  of  the  year  which  the  laws  of  the  Empire 
oblige  him  to  spend  at  the  capital. 

“ We  could  only  estimate  the  conditions  under  which 
the  Japanese  nobility  reside  in  Yedo  from  what  we 
caught  in  this  bird’s-eye  view.  No  European  has 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 


115 


ever  crossed  tlie  tliresliold  of  their  residences.  The 
ministers  of  the  Tycoon  liave  never  admitted  into 
their  own  dwellinofs  any  foreiffn  ambassador. 

“ Tlie  panorama  from  Atagosa-yama  only  disclosed 
to  us  about  one  fourtli  part  of  the  great  capital.  To- 
wards the  north,  our  view  was  obstructed  by  the  walls 
surroundinrj  the  castle  of  the  Tycoon.  We  therefore 
resolved  to  devote  another  day  to  the  quarters  in  that 
direction,  which  form  with  the  castle  itself,  the  central 
part  of  Yedo.  The  walls  appeared  to  us  as  two  con- 
centric circles,  drawn  by  the  blue  lines  of  broad  canals, 
communicating  with  each  other  and  with  the  bay  by 
means  of  numerous  arms.  We  carried  out  the  plan  in 
a walk  of  four  hours,  during  which  there  unfolded 
before  our  steps,  like  the  windings  of  a mysterious  laby- 
rinth of  stone,  the  ramparts,  the  towers,  ami  the  pal- 
aces within  which  the  power  of  the  Tycoons  has  found 
a shelter  for  more  than  two  hundred  years. 

“ It  is  an  imposing  spectacle,  but  it  leaves  a chilly 
impression  on  the  mind.  The  political  order  of  things 
instituted  in  Japan  by  the  usurper  lyeyas  vaguely  re- 
calls the  regime  of  the  Venetian  Republic  under  the 
rule  of  the  Council  of  Ten.  If  it  has  not  the  same 
grandeur,  it  possesses  at  least  the  same  terrors,  — the 
sombre  majesty  of  the  Chief  of  State,  the  impenetrable 
mystery  of  his  government,  the  concealed  and  contiji- 
uous  action  of  a system  of  espionage  officially  arranged 
in  all  branches  of  the  administration,  and  drawing  after 
it,  in  the  shadow,  proscriptions,  assassinations,  secret 
executions. 

“ But  we  must  not  further  extend  the  compai’ison 
with  Venice.  In  Yedo  one  seeks  in  vain,  over  all  the 


116 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


vast  extent  of  the  glacis  of  the  castle,  some  monument 
which  deserves  to  be  mentioned  beside  the  marv'elous 
edifices  of  the  Place  of  San  Marco  or  the  Riva  de’ 
Schiavoni.  Artistic  taste  is  completely  wanting  at  tlie 
court  of  the  Tycoons.  It  is  left  to  the  people,  with 
poetry,  religion,  social  life,  with  all  superfluous  things 
which  only  embarrass  the  movement  of  the  political 
machine.  From  one  end  to  the  other  of  the  adminis- 
trative hierarchy,  each  official  being  flanked  by  a se- 
cretly appointed  controller,  the  talents  of  the  employes 
are  exhausted  in  learning  how  to  do  nothing,  and  say 
nothing,  which  might  furnish  material  for  damaging 
reports.  As  to  their  private  life,  it  is  concealed,  like 
that  of  the  Japanese  nobles,  behind  the  walls  of  their 
domestic  fortresses.  While  the  streets  inhabited  by 
the  common  people,  with  all  their  dwellings  open  to  the 
public  view,  are  constantly  animated  with  crowds  of 
comers  and  goers  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  in  the 
aristocratic  quarters  one  sees  neither  women  nor  chil- 
dren, unless  in  glimpses,  through  the  grating  of  the 
windows,  in  the  houses  of  the  retainers. 

“ There  are  thus  in  Yedo  two  coexisting  forms  of 
society,  one  of  which,  armed  and  endowed  with  privi- 
leges, lives  as  if  imprisoned  in  a vast  citadel ; and  the 
other,  disarmed,  subject  to  the  domination  of  the  former, 
apparently  enjoys  all  the  advantages  of  liberty.  But 
in  reality  a rod  of  iron  is  laid  upon  the  people  of  Yedo. 
Out  of  five  heads  of  families,  one  is  always  established 
bv  the  government  as  an  authority  over  the  other  four. 
The  iniquitous  laws  punish  a whole  family,  a district 
even,  for  the  crime  of  one  of  the  members.  Neither 
the  property  nor  the  lives  of  the  citizens  are  guarded 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 


117 


by  any  legal  protection.  The  extortions  and  the  brutal 
acts  of  the  two-sworded  class  remain  for  the  most  part 
unpunished.  But  the  burglier  turns  for  compensation 
to  the  charms  which  liis  good  city  offers  him.  If  tlie 
rule  of  the  Tycoons  sometimes  appears  hard  to  him,  he 
remembers  that  the  Mikados  have  not  always  been 
good-natured,  — that  one  of  them,  in  ancient  times, 
loved  to  display  his  skill  as  an  archer  in  bringing  down 
with  his  shafts  the  peasants  whom  he  forced  to  climb 
trees  as  game. 

“ In  countries  fashioned  by  despotism,  it  is  an  em- 
barrassing thing  for  the  poor  people  to  ascertain  the 
proper  limits  of  their  patience.  In  a republic  they  be- 
come exacting,  because  the  government  opens  to  them 
the  prospect  of  a continuous  social  amelioration,  because 
every  republican  government  falls  short  of  the  task  im- 
posed upon  it  by  its  own  nature.  But  under  the  rule 
of  individual  will,  on  the  contrary,  the  despot  gets 
credit  for  not  doing  all  the  evil  in  his  power.  A Jap- 
anese emperor,  who  was  born  under  the  constellation 
of  the  Dog,  ordered  that  all  dogs  should  be  respected 
as  .sacred  animals,  that  they  must  not  be  killed,  and 
must  receive  honorable  sepulture  when  they  died.  A 
subject,  whose  dog  had  died,  set  to  work  to  bury  the 
body  properly  upon  one  of  the  sepulchral  mounds. 
While  on  the  wav,  and  weary  with  the  weight  of  the 
dead  dog,  he  ventured  to  say  to  a neighbor  that  the 
Emperor’s  order  seemed  ridiculous  to  him.  ‘ Beware 
how  yon  complain,’  the  neighbor  rejJied ; ‘ our  Em- 
peror might  just  as  well  have  been  born  under  the  sign 
of  the  Horse.’ 

The  first  great  line  of  defense  of  the  castle  is  sur- 

O 


H8 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


rounded  with  water,  except  on  the  western  side,  where 
it  communicates  with  the  adjoining  quarter  of  the  city 
by  the  parade-ground  belonging  to  the  Tvcoon.  Ten 
arched  wooden  bridges  are  tlirown  acioss  tlie  broad 
moats:  a strong  detachment  of  the  Tycoon's  troops  oc- 
cupied the  guard -house  attaclied  to  the  one  wliich  we 
crossed.  The  common  soldiers  are  mountaineers  of 
Akoni,  who  are  allowed  to  return  to  their  homes  after 
a service  of  two  or  three  years.  Their  uniform  of  blue 
cotton  consists  of  close  fitting  pantaloons,  and  a shirt 
something  like  that  of  the  Garibaldians.  They  wear 
cotton  socks,  and  leathern  sandals,  and  a large  sabre 
with  a lacquered  scabbard  is  thrust  through  the  girdle. 
The  cartridge-box  and  bayonet  are  worn  suspended  on 
the  right  side.  A pointed  hat  of  lacquered  paper  com- 
pletes their  accoutrement,  but  they  only  put  it  on  when 
mounting  guard,  or  in  going  to  drill. 

“ As  to  the  muskets  used  in  the  Japanese  army,  al- 
though they  all  have  percussion  locks,  they  vary  in 
calibre  and  construction.  I saw  four  different  kinds 
in  the  workshop  of  the  barracks  of  Benten,  where  a 
yakounin  introduced  me.  He  showed  me  a Dutch 
model,  then  an  arm  of  an  inferior  quality,  from  a work- 
shop in  Yedo,  then  an  American  musket,  and  finally 
a Mini4  rifle,  the  use  of  which  a young  officer  was  then 
teaching  to  a squad  of  soldiers  in  the  court-yard.  I 
noticed  that  the  latter  gave  the  words  of  command  in 
Dutch.  He  held  a ramrod  in  his  right  hand,  and  the 
grace  of  his  movements,  as  well  as  the  sweetness  of 
Ills  voice,  made  him  resemble,  at  a little  distance,  a 
dancing-master  directing  the  steps  of  his  pupils  with  a 
fiddle-bow. 


WALKS  IK  YEDO 


119 


“ Notwithstanding  their  prompt  intelligence  of  the 
great  j)rogress  in  the  art  of  war  realized  by  the  West- 
ern nations,  the  Japanese  have  not  yet  been  able 
to  abolish  the  heavy  military  apparel  of  their  feudal 
times.  The  helmet,  the  coat  of  mail,  the  halberd,  the 
two-handed  sword  are  still  employed  in  their  reviews 
and  criind  manoeuvres.  Bodies  of  archers  still  flank 
infantry  columns  equipped  in  the  European  manner, 
and  chevaliers  worthy  of  the  times  of  the  Crusades 
make  their  appearance  in  the  dust  of  artillery  trains. 

“ All  the  young  officers  are  daily  exercised,  from  an 
early  age,  in  face-to-face  combats,  with  the  lance  and 
two-handed  sword,  the  rapier  and  the  knife.  The 
quarter  which  we  traversed  possessed  two  race-courses 
and  several  buildings  destined  for  exercises  in  equita- 
tion and  fencing.  We  saw  the  masters  passintr,  accom- 
panied by  their  pupils  and  followed  by  servants  who 
bore  lances  and  sabres  of  wood,  as  well  as  gloves, 
masks,  and  breast-plates,  such  as  are  used  in  the 
fencing-halls  of  the  German  universities.  The  jous- 
ters,  still  hot  from  their  encounters,  had  thrown  their 
silk  mantles  over  one  shoulder,  and  opened  their  close 
jackets  upon  the  breast.  Thus  relieved,  they  walked 
along  at  their  ease,  silent  and  dignified,  as  is  the  marir 
ner  of  gentlemen. 

“ I was  several  times  present  at  the  fencing-matches 
of  the  yakounins.  The  champions  salute  each  other 
befoi'e  the  attack  : sometimes  he  who  is  on  the  defen- 
sive drops  one  knee  upon  the  earth,  in  order  the  better 
to  cross  weapons  and  to  parry  with  more  force  the 
blows  of  his  adversary.  Each  pass  is  accompanied 
with  theatrical  poses  and  expressive  gestures ; each 


120 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


blow  provokes  passionate  exclamations  from  one  or  the 
other ; then  the  judges  intervene  and  emphatically 
pronounce  their  verdict,  until  finally  a cup  of  tea  ap- 
pears as  the  interlude.  There  is  even  a variety  of 
fencing  for  the  Japanese  ladies.  Their  arm  is  a lance 
with  a curved  blade,  something  like  that  of  the  Polish 
scythemen.  They  hold  it  with  the  point  directed  to- 
w’ard  the  earth,  and  wield  it  according  to  rule  in  a 
series  of  attitudes,  poses,  and  cadenced  movements, 
which  would  furnish  charming  subjects  for  a ballet.  I 
was  not  allowed  to  see  much  of  this  graceful  display, 
which  I happened  to  get  sight  of  in  passing  before  a 
half-open  court-yard.  My  3'akounins  closed  the  gate, 
assuring  me  that  the  customs  of  the  countiy  do  not 
allow  witnesses  to  see  these  feminine  feats  of  arms. 

“ 111  their  weapons  the  Japanese  nobles  exhibit  the 
greatest  luxury,  and  take  the  most  pride.  Especially 
their  sabres,  the  temper  of  which  is  unrivaled,  are  gen- 
erally enriched,  at  tlie  hilt  and  on  the  scabbard,  with 
metal  ornaments,  graven  and  cut  with  great  skill.  But 
the  principal  value  of  their  arms  consists  in  their  an- 
tiquity and  celebrity.  Each  sword  in  the  old  families 
of  the  daimios,  has  its  history  and  traditions,  the  glory 
of  which  is  measured  by  the  blood  which  it  has  shed. 
A new  sword  must  not  long  remain  virgin  in  the  hands 
of  him  who  bu\’s  it ; until  an  occasion  is  offered  for 
baptizing  it  in  human  blood,  the  young  brave  who  be- 
comes its  ow'ner  tries  its  quality  on  living  animals,  or, 
better  still,  on  the  corpses  of  criminals.  When  the 
executioner  delivers  to  him  the  body,  in  accordance 
with  higher  authority,  he  fastens  it  to  a cross,  or  upon 
trestles,  in  the  court  of  his  d'velling,  and  sets  to  work 


WALKS  IN  YEDO. 


121 


to  cut,  slash,  and  piei’ce,  until  lie  has  acquired  enough 
strength  and  skill  to  divide  two  bodies,  one  laid  upon 
the  other,  at  a single  blow. 

“ We  may  easily  imagine  the  aversion  which  these 
Japanese  gentlemen,  for  whom  the  sabre  is  at  once  an 
emblem  of  their  value  and  of  their  titles  of  nobility, 
feel  for  the  fire-arms  of  the  Western  nations.  The 
Tycoon  formerly  sent  some  of  the  young  yakounins  to 
Nagasaki,  to  learn  the  musketry  drill  from  the  Dutch 
officers  there  ; but  when  they  returned  to  the  capital 
and  were  distributed  among  the  barracks  in  order  to 
drill  the  new  Japanese  infantry,  their  former  comrades 
cried  ‘ Treason  !’  and  assailed  them  with  arms  in  their 
hands.  Nevertheless,  the  sabre  is  surely  destined  to 
become  obsolete.  In  spite  of  the  traditional  prestige 
with  which  the  privileged  caste  endeavors  to  surround 
it,  in  spite  of  the  contempt  which  they  affect  for  the 
military  innovations  of  a crovemment  which  thev  hate, 
the  democratic  weapon,  the  musket,  is  introduced  into 
Japan,  and  with  it,  undoubtedly,  a social  revolution, 
which  is  already  predicted  in  tlie  instinctive  but  fruit- 
less resistance  of  the  repi*esentatives  of  the  feudal 
spirit. 

“ The  conduct  of  their  chiefs  will  of  itself  tend  to 
precipitate  the  catastrophe.  Conspiracies  and  political 
assassinations  increase  at  Yedo  with  a frightful  rapidity. 
It  appears  to  be  settled  that  not  only  several  Ministers 
of  State,  but  two  successive  Tycoons,  have  perished  by 
a violent  death  since  the  opening  of  Japan.  The  same 
fate  overtook  the  G-otairo,  or  Regent,  tutor  of  the 
young  sovereign  who  died  in  1866.  His  palace  is 
seated  on  a hill  in  the  southern  part  of  the  quarter  of 


122 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


Sakourada,  fronting  the  broad  moats  and  high  walls  of 
the  inner  circuit  of  the  castle,  and  overlooking  on  the 
east  and  south,  grand  squares  of  streets  formed  by 
more  than  fifty  seignorial  I’esidences.  In  this  princely 
neigliborliood,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1860,  at  eleven 
o’clock  in  the  morning,  the  Regent,  with  an  escort  of 
four  or  five  hundred  men,  was  assailed  by  a band  of 
seventeen  lonins  (bravos),  on  the  spacious  highway 
skirtinof  tlie  moat.  There  was  sanjiuinarv  fichtins  on 
both  sides  ; twenty  soldiei's  of  the  escort  fell  at  their 
posts  ; five  conspirators  were  slain,  two  disemboweled 
themselves,  four  were  made  prisoners,  and  the  others 
escaped,  among  them  the  chief,  carrying  the  Regent’s 
head  in  his  mantle.  Rumor  added  that  the  head  was 
ex])osed  in  the  provincial  town  where  resides  the  Prince 
of  Mito,  the  instigator  of  the  conspiracy,  then  even  at 
Miako,  before  the  battlements  of  the  Mikado,  and 
finally  that  it  was  found  in  the  Regent’s  own  garden, 
where  it  had  been  thrown  by  night  over  the  walls.” 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  RESIDE>'CE  OF  THE  TYCOONS. 

“ "PJ  Y following  the  road  which  skirts  the  terraces  of 
the  Regent’s  palace,  we  finally  reach  a plateau 
on  the  northeastern  side  of  the  castle,  the  most  ele- 
vated point  being  nearly  on  a level  with  the  top  of  the 
interior  glacis  of  the  latter.  The  residence  of  the 
Tycoon  appears  to  us  to  be  seated  on  the  south- 
western extremity  of  the  long  chain  of  hills  and  pla- 
teaus which  constitute  the  southern,  western,  and 
northern  quarters  of  the  capital. 

“ The  undulating  outlines  of  Yedo,  from  the  south- 
ern side,  present  the  image  of  a vast  amphitheatre, 
the  grades  of  which  descend  toward  the  bay.  Hollows 
formed  by  the  windings  of  three  rivers  may  be  traced 
through  it,  in  the  distance,  the  southernmost  between 
Sinagawa  and  Takanawa ; the  second,  between  the 
latter  quarter  and  those  of  Asabon  and  Atakosta ; the 
nearest  and  most  considerable  between  Atakosta  and 
Sakourada,  the  same  which  fills  the  moats  of  the 
castle  and  the  navigable  canals  of  the  commercial 
city,  between  the  castle  and  the  sea.  Toward  the 
east  we  see  no  summits ; the  city  extends  in  a contin- 
uous plain  to  the  gi'eat  river  Ogawa,  beyond  which 
the  populous  quarters  of  Hindjo  are  gradually  lost 
in  the  mists  of  the  horizon.  All  that  part  of  Yedo 


124 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


to  the  eastward  of  the  castle  was  entirely  unknown  to 
us,  and,  far  as  the  view  extended,  W3  could  not  dis- 
cover its  end. 

“ The  immensity  of  the  Japanese  capital  produces  a 
strange  impression.  The  imagination,  as  well  as  the 
vision,  is  fatigued  in  hovering  over  that  boundless 
agglomeration  of  human  dwellings,  all  of  which,  great 
or  little,  are  marked  by  the  same  stamp  of  uniformity. 
Each  one  of  our  old  European  cities  has  its  distinctive 
physiognomy,  strongly  indicated  by  the  monuments  of 
different  ages,  and  uniting  to  grand  artistic  effects  the 
austere  charm  of  ancient  memories.  But  at  Yedo,  all 
things  are  of  the  same  epoch,  and  in  the  same  style ; 
everything  rests  on  a single  fact,  on  a single  political 
circumstance,  — the  foundation  of  the  dynasty  of  the 
Tycoons..  Yedo  is  a wholly  modern  city,  which  seems 
to  be  waiting  for  its  historv  and  its  monuments. 

“ Even  the  residence  of  the  Tycoon,  viewed  from  a 
distance,  offers  nothing  remarkable  except  its  dimen- 
sions, its  vast  circuit  of  teri’aces,  supported  by  enor- 
mous walls  of  granite,  its  parks  of  magnificent  shade, 
and  its  moats  resembling  quiet  lakes,  where  flocks  of 
aquatic  birds  freely  sport  in  the  water.  That  which 
chieflv  strikes  the  senses,  within  the  inclosures,  is  the 
grand  scale  to  which  everything  is  conformed : walls, 
avenues  of  trees,  canals,  portals,  guard-houses,  and 
dwellings  of  the  retainers.  The  exquisite  neatness  of 
the  squares  and  avenues,  the  profound  silence  which 
reigns  around  the  buildings,  the  noble  simplicity  of 
these  constructions  of  cedar  upon  marble  basements, 
— all  combine  to  produce  a solemn  effect,  and  to  pro- 
voke those  impressions  of  majesty,  mystery,  and  fear, 


THE  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  TYCOONS.  125 


wliich  despotism  needs  in  order  to  support  its  pres- 
tige. 

“ Here,  as  in  the  Japanese  temples,  one  cannot  but 
admire  the  simplicity  of  the  means  employed  by  the 
native  architects,  in  realizing  their  boldest  conceptions. 
They  always  borrow  the  most  effective  of  their  re- 
sources directly  from  nature.  The  Tycoon’s  hall  of 
audience  possesses  neither  columns,  nor  statues,  nor 
furniture  of  any  kind.  It  consists  of  a succession  of 
vast  and  very  lofty  chambers,  separated  one  from  the 
other  by  movable  screens,  which  reach  to  the  ceiling. 
They  are  so  disposed  as  to  give  an  effect  of  perspective, 
like  the  side-scenes  of  a theatre,  and  the  end  of  the 
vista  opens  upon  broad  lawns  and  avenues  of  trees. 

“ The  Tycoon’s  throne  is  a sort  of  dais,  raised 
several  steps,  and  supported  against  the  wall  which 
faces  the  principal  entrance.  The  resident  delegates 
of  the  Court  of  the  Mikado,  the  Ministers  of  State, 
and  the  members  of  the  Representative  Council  of 
the  Daimios,  have  their  seats  on  his  right  or  left. 
Through  the  whole  extent  of  the  hall,  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  the  high  court  officials,  the  princes  of  feudal 
provinces,  the  lords  of  cities,  castles,  districts  of  the 
country,  and  the  chiefs  of  the  military  aristocracy,  are 
ranged  by  hundreds  — or  at  the  grand  receptions,  by 
thousands  — in  the  places  assigned  to  them  by  their 
rank  in  the  hierarchy.  No  sound  is  heard  in  this  im- 
mense crowd  ; each  one  is  without  arms,  and  bare- 
footed, his  feet  concealed  in  the  folds  of  immense  drag- 
ging trousers.  The  daimios  are  recognized  by  their 
high-pointed  caps  and  their  long  mantles  of  brocade, 
ornamented,  on  the  sleeves,  with  the  family  coat-of- 


126 


TRAVELS  IN  JAP  AIT. 


arms  The  officers  of  the  Tocoon  wear  an  over-Jresa 
of  silken  gauze,  spi'cacllng  out  on  the  shoulders  like  two 
large  wings. 

“ The  assembly,  divided  into  distinct  groups,  awah 
the  arrival  of  the  Tycoon,  crouched  in  silence  on  the 
thick  bamboo  matting  which  covers  the  floor.  Then 
they  prostrate  themselves  before  the  sovereign  as  soon 
as  he  appears,  and  until,  seated  on  his  throne,  he  has 
ordered  his  ministers  to  receive  communications  from 
the  audience.  Each  orator  or  reporter  prostrates  him- 
self anew  on  approaching  the  throne,  and  when  com- 
manded to  speak.  The  costume  of  the  Tycoon  is  com- 
posed of  a robe  of  brocade  with  long  sleeves,  bound 
around  the  waist  with  silken  cords,  and  large  puffed 
trousers  which  cover  his  velvet  boots.  He  wears  on 
the  top  of  his  head  a pointed  hat  of  gold,  which 
somewhat  resembles  the  Doge’s  bonnet.  What  more 
splendid,  or  more  majestic  decoration  could  he  give  to 
his  audience-hall,  than  this  living  gallery  of  the  glories 
of  Japan,  this  august  assembly  of  princes,  lords,  and 
high  officials,  personifying  the  wealth  and  power  of  the 
Empire  ? 

“ This  picture,  which  the  Tycoon  sees  with  so  much 
pi’ide,  is  the  chai’acteristic  work  of  lyeyas.  It  belongs 
to  him  especially,  for  it  is  not  a continuation  of  the 
work  of  Taikosama.  The  latter  was  the  last  Siogoon  : 
lyeyas  was  the  true  founder  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Tg~ 
coons.  It  is  true,  however,  that  he  never  received 
such  a designation  ; his  illustrious  name  in  the  Japan- 
ese annals  is  Gonghensama.  As  to  the  title  of  Tycoon, 
its  origin  is  modern,  dating  only  from  1850.  At  this 
time,  in  one  of  the  conferences  of  Commodore  Perry 


THE  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  TYCOONS.  127 


with  the  representatives  of  the  Japanese  government 
at  Yokohama,  the  American  ambassador,  wishing  to 
designate  in  the  treaty  tlie  political  chief  of  the  empire, 
and  finding  it  difiicnlt  to  clioose  between  the  titles, 
Siogoon,  Koiihosaina,  and  others  which  the  Mikados 
had  conferred  on  their  temporal  lieutenants,  the  inter- 
preter Hvashi  proj)osed  to  adopt  a uniform  style,  ex- 
pressed hv  the  two  Chinese  signs  Tai-Kouh,  signifying 
‘ Great  Chief,  ’ which  was  agreed  upon  by  both  sides. 
Since  then,  although  the  Japanese  government  has 
more  than  once  expressed  dissatisfaction  with  this  inno- 
vation, it  has  been  retained  in  all  the  international 
treaties,  and  has  even  become  popular  throughout  the 
country. 

“ Before  visiting  the  commercial  city,  and  in  order  to 
finish  with  the  official  grandeurs  of  the  ca])ital,  we  must 
devote  a few  words  to  what  is  called  the  Daimio-kodzi., 
or  Avenue  of  Princes.  It  stretches  to  the  east  and 
northeast  of  the  Tycoon’s  palace,  communicating  with 
the  quarter  of  SouJ*ouga  by  five  bridges,  furnished 
with  armed  gateways.  But  it  was  not  permitted  to  us 
to  cross  any  of  these.  One  was  reserved  for  the  Ty- 
coon, another  for  Stotsbashi,  and  so  on,  until  we 
reached  a sixth,  by  which  we  were  finally  allowed  to 
cross  into  the  jmvileged  zone. 

“ Here  there  are  at  least  thirty  heraldic  palaces,  and 
a great  number  of  public  edifices  in  the  same  style  of 
architecture,  such  as  the  official  residence  of  Stotsbashi ; 
the  office  of  the  Prime  IMinister  ; of  the  Governor  of 
the  Cit3%  a personage  whose  influence  with  the  ruler 
equals  that  of  a favorite  minister  ; of  the  Tycoon’s 
architect,  the  man  who  occupies  the  next  most  enviable 


128 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


position  at  court;  the  hall  of  justice,  with  its  gloomy 
dependencies,  prisons,  torture-rooms,  and  place  of  se- 
cret executions ; finally  the  houses  of  the  fire-brigade, 
store-houses  of  rice  and  bamboo  matting  for  the  castle. 
All  this  mass  of  residences  and  buildings  for  the  use  of 
the  political  administration  of  Ja])an  has  a stamp  of 
simplicity  and  severity  which  is  found  in  no  other 
country.  Within  its  limits,  w-e  must  add,  there  are 
neither  dwellings  of  citizens  or  of  subordinate  officials, 
temples,  monasteries,  tea-houses,  theatres,  or  schools. 

“ The  circuit  which  we  were  obliged  to  make,  in  or- 
der  to  enter  the  Daimio-kodzi,  enabled  us  to  see  one  of 
the  largest  military  schools  of  the  capital,  although  we 
did  not  succeed  in  entering  the  rooms  devoted  to  study. 
We  were  allowed  to  see  the  fencing- halls ; the  riding- 
school,  a vast  oblong  space,  open  to  the  skv%  sanded 
and  surrounded  with  a turfed  bank  ; the  stables,  pre- 
senting the  appearance  of  a long,  low  shed,  with  only 
a plank  wall  beside  the  mangers,  where  the  horses 
were  fed  with  chopped  rice-straw ; and  finally  the 
parade-ground,  which  was  spacious  enough  to  furnish 
practice  for  a battery  of  cannon,  and  which  was  often 
used  for  artillery  maneuvi'es  and  target  practice.  These 
military  schools  are  not  regarded  with  much  favor 
by  the  feudal  aristocracy  ; but  they  are  frequented 
as  well  by  the  sons  of  princes  of  the  blood  and  the 
high  officials  of  the  empire  as  by  those  of  the  lower 
orders  of  the  nobility,  whose  rank  dates  only  from  the 
favor  of  former  Tycoons. 

“ One  of  the  most  remarkable  departments  of  the 
University  of  Yedo  is  the  college  of  interpreters.  The 
numerous  students  who  frequent  it  have  the  rank  of 


THE  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  TYCOONS.  129 


officei-s  and  carry  the  two  sabres.  All  are  obliged  to 
learn  Dutch,  which  is  the  language  of'  diplomatic  rela- 
tions, that  in  which  the  affairs  of  the  Japanese  goveni- 
ment  are  arranged  with  foreign  ])owers.  After  having 
acquired  it,  some  add  the  English  language  ; others 
Russian,  others  French,  Portuguese,  German,  Danish, 
and  even  Italian,  since  Italy  has  also  concluded  a treaty 
with  Japan,  under  the  patronage  of  France.  Thus, 
each  one  of  the  languages  spoken  by  the  contracting 
nations  is  represented  at  Yedo. 

“ Moriyama  Yenoski  was  formerly  the  interpreter 
ap])ointed  to  be  present  at  all  negotiations  concerning 
the  adoption  or  revision  of  international  conventions. 
When  I made  his  acquaintance,  it  appeared  evident  to 
me  that  he  had  been  advanced  in  rank.  He  had  occu- 
pied a confidential  position  with  the  Japanese  embas- 
sies which  visited  the  United  States  and  Europe.  I 
only  saw  him  on  two  occasions,  and  then  less  as  inter- 
preter than  as  confidential  assistant  of  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs. 

“ Other  interpreters  have  the  special  diaty  of  select- 
ing, translating,  and  annotating  the  newspapers  which 
the  court  of  the  Tycoon  receives  directly  from  Europe, 
as  well  as  the  new  scientific  or  literary  works  presented 
by  the  legations.  All  such  publications  are  carefully 
preserved  in  the  Imperial  Library.  By  degrees  mate- 
rials are  drawn  from  them  for  Japanese  works,  more  or 
less  extensive,  \vritten  for  the  classes  of  civil  and  mil- 
itary officers,  to  whom  they  may  be  of  service,  or  even 
for  the  public  in  general.  We  find  already  fragments 
of  Humboldt’s  ‘ Cosmos,’  an  abridgment  of  Hufeland’j 
‘ Makrobiotik,  a translation  of  Stielier’s  Atlas,  and  of 
9 


130 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


Maury’s  work  on  ‘ Ocean  Currents.’  During  tlie  entire 
duration  of  the  civil  war  in  the  United  States,  there 
was  published  in  Yedo,  at  irregular  intervals,  a narra- 
tion of  events,  accompanied  with  engravings  on  wood, 
copied  from  the  American  illustrated  papers. 

“ We  are  far  from  being  able  to  sound  the  myste- 
ries of  this  Venice  of  the  extreme  East,  and  it  must  be 
difficult,  even  for  the  Japanese,  to  form  a correct  idea 
of  it.  But  no  one  in  Yedo  is  ignorant  that  the  gloomy 
prisons  in  the  Daimio-kodzi,  the  outside  of  which  only 
we  see,  contain  their  torture-chambers,  their  dungeons, 
their  places  for  secret  executions. 

“ In  Japan,  the  simple  repression  of  common  offenses 
is  marked  with  ferocity,  from  beginning  to  end:  the 
bloodhound  of  the  police  falls  upon  an  accused  person 
like  a vulture  on  his  prey.  The  bamhoo  is  the  neces- 
sary accompaniment  of  the  examinations  ; the  indict- 
ment is  presented  at  length  to  the  prisoner,  and  if  he 
does  not  reply  as  the  judge  desires  a rain  of  blows  falls 
upon  his  shoulders.  Woe  to  him,  if  he  be  suspected 
of  lying,  or  of  screening  himself  by  denials  ! In  such 
a case  he  is  made  to  kneel  upon  j)ieces  of  hard  wood, 
and  in  this  position  stone  weights  are  piled  upon  his 
thighs  until  the  blood  gushes  from  the  skin. 

“ In  the  eyes  of  a Japanese  judge,  the  accused  is  al- 
ways held  to  be  guilty.  The  tribunal  desires  victims, 
and  the  police  agents  are  its  purveyors.  Twenty  to 
tliirty  prisoners  are  brought  into  the  hall  of  justice  at 
the  same  time  ; all  wear  the  same  costume,  — a large 
mantle  of  blue  cotton,  and  no  other  article  of  dress. 
As  they  are  not  allowed  to  shave  or  comb  their  hair, 
a few  days  are  enough  to  give  them  the  appearance  of 


THE  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  TYCOONS.  131 


filthy  creatures,  for  whom  one  would  feel  a sentiment 
of  contempt  or  disgust.  They  sleep  crouched  upon  the 
flag-stones  with  which  the  prison  is  paved  ; yet  those 
who  are  able  to  pay  may  obtain  from  the  jailer  one  or 
more  mats  and  a wadded  covering.  Rice  is  their  only 
food.  The  most  absolute  silence  is  imposed  upon  them, 
and  this  rule  is  only  broken  when  one  of  tlieir  number 
has  been  condemned  to  death,  and  the  soldiers  come  to 
carry  him  away.  His  companions  are  then  allowed  to 
utter,  together  and  with  all  the  strength  of  their  voices, 
one  long,  despairing  cry  ; after  which  the  silence  be- 
comes more  horrible  than  ever. 

“ The  punishments  provided  by  Japanese  law  are 
only  imprisonment  accompanied  with  corporeal  inflic- 
tions, or  death.  Banishment  is  reserved  for  the  gran- 
dees of  the  empire,  or  the  bonzes,  who  are  relegated,  ac- 
cording to  their  rank,  to  one  or  the  other  outer  islands. 
It  is  said  that  they  spend  the  time  of  their  exile  in 
weaving  silk  stuffs.  As  to  imprisonment,  it  is  never  of 
long  duration,  unless  before  the  trial.  The  sentence 
generally  adds  a few  weeks  or  months,  as  I have  seen 
at  Yokohama,  where  the  valet  of  a European  was  con- 
demned to  a seclusion  of  three  months  for  stealing. 
He  was  shut  up  with  other  malefactors  in  a high  cell, 
— four  whitewashed  walls  surmounted  with  a grating 
of  heavy  beams,  — and  received  daily  for  his  nourish- 
ment a bowl  of  rice  and  a tempo  (about  three  cents),  in 
exchange  for  which  the  jailer  furnished  him  with  a 
little  fruit  or  vegetables. 

“ The  theft  of  a less  sum  than  forty  itzibus  (about 
twenty  dollars),  is  punished  by  branding.  In  place  of 
a hot  iron,  the  Japanese  make  use  of  a lancet,  with 


132 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


wliicli  they  effect  an  incision  of  a certain  form  on  the 
left  arm,  and  make  it  indelible  with  powder.  The 
prisoner  thrusts  his  arm  through  a hole  in  the  wall, 
and  a surgeon  in  the  next  room  performs  tlie  operation. 
The  branding,  in  the  case  of  a hardened  criminal,  may 
be  repeated  twenty-four  times,  but  the  last  marks  are 
then  made  upon  the  forehead,  and  every  branding 
after  the  third  is  accompanied  with  a flogging. 

“ Every  culprit  who  falls  into  the  hands  of  justice 
after  having  been  marked  twenty-four  times,  or  who 
commits  a theft  of  greater  amount  than  forty  itzibus,  is 
condemned  to  death.  Ordinarily  they  wait  until  there 
are  three  or  four  to  be  executed,  and  the  sentences  are 
then  carried  into  effect  in  the  court-yard  of  the  prison, 
with  no  other  witnesses  than  the  officers  of  justice. 
Each  culprit  is  led  into  their  presence,  his  eyes  band- 
aged, and  his  kirimon  thrown  back  upon  his  shoulders. 
He  is  made  to  kneel ; four  assistants,  two  on  each  side, 
grasp  his  hands  and  feet,  and  his  head  falls  at  a single 
stroke  of  the  executioner’s  sword.  It  is  then  washed 
and  exposed  with  the  others  in  one  of  the  market- 
places of  the  city,  for  twenty-four  hours.  The  body  is 
immediately  stripped  and  washed,  and  put  into  a sti*aw 
sack  to  be  delivered,  with  the  others,  to  the  gentlemen 
who  wish  to  practice  their  noble  art  as  swordsmen. 

“ Only  flagrant  criminals,  such  as  incendiaries  and 
assassins,  are  executed  in  public.  The  former  are 
given  to  the  flames  ; the  latter,  where  there  is  no 
aggravating  circumstance,  are  beheaded.  I might 
have  seen  in  Yedo,  the  crucifixion  of  two  parricides, 
for  I received  one  morning  from  TO,  a paper  con- 
taining an  account  of  their  crime  and  their  approach- 
ing execution. 


THE  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  TYCOONS.  133 


“ He  had  bought  it  from  a colporteur  who  was  cry- 
ing his  copies  through  the  streets,  as  in  the  most  civil- 
ized and  Cliristian  cities. 

“ As  in  Eui’ope,  the  ceremonies  of  public  executions 
are  said  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  making  a salutary  im- 
pi’ession  on  the  masses.  The  condemned  is  placed  on 
horseback,  bound  to  a high  wooden  saddle,  and  always 
has  a rosarv  suspended  to  his  neck.  At  the  head  of 
the  ]>rocession  the  officers  of  justice  direct  the  atten- 
tion of  the  peo})le  to  a large  placard,  borne  by  coolies, 
which  relates  in  emphatic  terms  the  circumstances  of 
the  crime. 

“ In  all  despotic  States,  the  yoke  of  power  always 
weiglis  most  heavily  on  the  bourgeoisie.,  — the  class  of 
untitled  and  unj)rivileged  citizens.  In  Japan,  this  class 
is  not  yet  formed,  and  only  exists  in  reality  in  the  Ty- 
coon’s cities,  which  are  : Miako,  Yedo,  Hiogo,  Osaka, 
Sakai,  Nagasaki,  and  Hakodadi,  to  which  maybe  added 
the  new  ports  of  Yokohama  and  Niagata.  This  very 
recent  class  of  Japanese  society  bears  in  its  breast  the 
germs  of  the  great  future  which  seems  to  be  marked 
out  for  the  Japan  of  our  day.  Nevertheless,  they  do 
not  yet  exercise  any  civic  right,  and  the  lowest  of  the 
hattamottos,  or  small  nobles,  disdains  to  ally  himself 
with  the  best  family  of  the  capital. 

“ The  same  spirit,  fatal  to  progress,  foreign  to  true 
civilization,  hostile  to  humanity,  reigns  in  the  proud 
seats  of  the  aristocracy  and  the  government.  The 
Tycoons  have  never  been  able  to  comprehend  that  the 
only  real  basis  of  their  power,  and  the  surest  source  of 
the  prosperity  of  their  empire,  is  found  in  this  very 
class  of  simple  citizens,  which  they  have  always  crushed 
»s  in  an  iron  cage.” 

O 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  COURT  AND  ITS  REVENUES. 

-SIRO,  as  the  castle  is  properly  called,  situated 


very  nearly  in  the  centre  of  Yedo,  is  a sort  of 
citadel,  about  five  miles  in  circuit.  It  contains  within 
it  the  palace  of  the  Tycoon,  of  the  presumptive  heir, 
and  of  the  principal  members  of  the  reigning  family  ; 
but  not  in  that  circumstance  alone  consists  its  true 
grandeur.  Even  in  despotic  countries,  the  surround- 
ings of  a dynasty  constitute  its  splendor.  To  appre- 
ciate the  Tycoonal  power  — at  least  as  it  has  been,  — 
we  must  have  a correct  idea  of  the  court  Avhich  sustains 
it.  The  following  statistics  are  partly  drawn  from  the 
annual  reports  publislied  in  Yedo  and  partly  from  Dutch 
soui’ces.  The  historic  accounts  of  the  families,  or  bio- 
graphical sketches  of  the  most  important  personages, 
cannot  be  given,  since  the  materials  have  not  yet  been 
collected. 

The  estimate  of  the  revenues,  or  annual  salaries  of 
the  principal  functionaries  of  the  govennnent,  how^ever, 
is  taken  from  the  official  reports  of  the  government  and 
may  be  fully  relied  on.  All  salaries  belonging  to  public 
employment  in  Japan,  are  paid  in,  or  at  least  calculated 
according  to,  products,  — that  is,  kokoiis,  or  sacks  of 
rice,  each  of  which  has  a weight  of  about  one  hundred 
English  pounds,  and  a value  of  about  $3.25. 


THE  COURT  AND  ITS  REVENUES. 


135 


Tlie  following  table,  therefore,  very  nearly  repre- 
sents the  revenues  of  the  Japanese  court:  — 

1.  The  first  dignitary  of  the  court  is  the  Regent, 
or  Gotairo,  whose  office  is  hereditary  in  the  house  of 
Kamon-no-Kami.  The  annual  revenue  of  this  office 
is  $1,080,000. 

2.  The  second  is  the  representative  of  the  Tycoon 
at  the  court  of  the  Mikado.  Annual  salary,  $320,000, 

3.  d'he  Council  of  Daiinios,  composed  of  eighteen 
representatives  of  the  eighteen  great  feudal  lords,  each 
of  whom  receives  annually  from  $100,000  to  $240,000. 

4.  The  members  of  the  Council  of  State,  or  Coun- 
cil of  Ministers,  five  in  number.  They  are  generally 
officials  belonging  to  the  secondarv  nobilltv,  and  of 
small  property.  Each  receives  about  $170,000, 

6.  The  second  Council  of  State,  or  Administrative 
Council,  with  five  to  thirteen  members,  heads  of  the 
various  departments  of  government,  each  from  $40,000 
to  $160,000. 

6.  The  Adjutant-general  and  Grand  Messenger 
of  the  State,  a prince  of  the  second  or  third  class, 
$140,000. 

7.  Aids-de-camp  in  ordinary  service,  sixteen  in  num- 
ber, from  $6,000  to  $16,000. 

8.  Ambassadors  to  the  feudal  lords,  from  whom  are 
chosen  the  members  of  the  embassies  sent  to  Europe 
aud  America,  twenty  in  number,  from  $3,200  to 
$10,000. 

9.  Princes  charged  with  the  militarv  defense  of 
the  domains  of  the  Tycoon,  twenty  to  thirty  feudal 
lords  of  the  second  and  third  class.  Their  salaries 
(which  oblige  them  to  furnish  a certain  number  of 


136 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


men,  who  are  at  the  disposal  of  the  government) 
vary  from  $50,000  to  $280,000. 

10.  Princes  with  various  inilitaiy  commands,  twenty- 
five  in  number,  averaging  $58,000. 

11.  Princes,  commanding  fortresses  of  the  Tycoon, 
twelve  in  number,  with  from  $9,500  to  $32,000. 

12.  Princes  attached  to  embassies,  etc.,  four  to 
eight,  from  $6,000  to  $20,000. 

13.  Princes  appointed  to  superintend  the  chief  police 
arrangements,  especially  the  administration  of  the  tem- 
])les,  four,  from  $140,000  to  $200,000. 

14.  Chamberlains,  twelve  to  twenty,  $20,000. 

. 15.  Chancellors  of  State,  five,  $10,000. 

16.  Governors  of  Yedo,  two,  $10,000. 

17.  Governors  of  the  Treasury,  four,  $5,000. 

18.  Governor  of  Public  Woi’ks,  architect  and  en- 
gineer, $5,000. 

19.  Governors  of  the  Navy,  two,  $8,000. 

20.  Heralds  of  arms,  three,  $14,000  to  $26,000. 

21.  Commanders  of  body-guards,  four,  $16,000. 

22.  Generals ; one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty,  from  $1,200  to  $24,000. 

23.  Ins]>ector  General  of  the  Armories,  $16,000. 

24.  Gov'ernors  of  cities,  etc.,  twenty,  $2,800  to 

$6,000. 

In  this  estimate  the  hundreds,  nay,  the  thousands 
of  subordinate  officials  who  complete  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Tycoon’s  government  are  not  included. 

The  salaries  which  hav'e  been  designated  amount 
to  very  near  $24,000,000  annually,  and  $30,000,000 
would  probably  not  be  an  over-estimate  for  the  entire 
expense  which  the  Japanese  government  entoils  upon 
the  people. 


THE  COURT  AND  ITS  REVENUES. 


137 


Soto-siro  is  the  general  term  which  comprises  the 
quarters  surrounriing  the  castle.  Their  limits  are  the 
outer  circle  of  moats,  the  canals  which  communicate 
with  the  Ogawa,  and  the  great  river  itself,  on  the  east. 
In  its  entire  extent,  the  Soto-siro  has  a circumference 
of  a little  less  than  ten  miles.  It  embraces  both  the 
quarters  of  the  nobility  and  the  commercial  j)art  of 
the  city  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Ogawa  River.  The 
part  appropriated  by  the  nobility  is  divided  irto  four 
districts  : that  called  Sakourada  is  almost  entirely  taken 
up  by  the  mansions  of  the  princes.  There  are  no 
burghers’  dwellings  except  along  the  main  highway 
which  traverses  it.  Here,  in  this  more  elevated  re- 
gion, are  the  residences  of  the  families  related  to  the 
Tycoon,  the  three  branches  of  Ksiou,  Owari,  and  Mito. 
The  Regent’s  palace  is  distinguished  by  its  grand  di- 
mensions, and  its  picturesque  situation,  beside  the  sec- 
ond moat. 

More  than  a hundred  palaces  of  the  first,  second, 
and  third  class  cover  the  plain  behind  the  temple  of 
Sanno,  in  these  quarters,  and  in  several  others,  gen- 
erally formed  by  large  square  tracts,  surrounded  by 
broad  sanded  avenues. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  citizens’  QUARTER. 

•*  TT  was  not  long,”  says  M.  Humbert,  “ before  I 
received  a first  warning.  Tlie  government 
deigned  to  inform  me  tliat  our  extensive  excursions 
through  the  ca|)ital  might  result  in  danger  to  our- 
selves. Tliere  was  no  further  time  to  lose,  for  they 
were  evidently  |)reparing  obstacles  to  our  movements. 
I calculated  that  w'e  had  already  traversed  about  one 
third  of  the  thirty  districts  into  wdiich  the  city  is  di- 
vided ; a new,  and  perhaps  a final  field  of  exploration 
must  be  immediately  selected  from  the  remainder. 

“ It  seemed  to  me  that  the  greatest  number  of  ob- 
jects of  interest,  were  included  within  a circle  having 
the  chief  bridge  of  tlie  city  for  its  central  point.  The 
latter  could  be  speedily  reached,  either  on  horseback 
by  the  Tokaiao,  or  in  a boat,  taking  advantage  of  the 
tide ; and  it  was  but  a short  distance  further  to  the 
populous  quarters  of  the  commercial  city,  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Ogawa,  or  to  the  industrial  city  of  Hondjo, 
on  the  left  bank. 

“ I had  already  made  out  a programme  of  our  expe- 
ditions, when  an  amusing  adventure  occm’red,  which 
encouraged  me  in  my  plans,  and  at  the  same  time 
showed  me  their  true  value.  Two  attaches  of  the 
Prussian  Legation  at  Yokohama  came  to  visit  M.  Met- 


A JAPANESE  STAPLE. 


THE  CITIZENS’  QUARTER. 


139 


man,  and  as  tliey  wished  to  procure  both  the  Alma- 
nac of  the  Mikado’s  Court,  and  the  official  Annual 
of  the  Tycoon’s  government,  the  latter  gentleman 
accompanied  them  to  the  shop  of  a bookseller  in  the 
city.  I begged  him  to  purchase  for  me  at  the  same 
time,  any  literary  curiosities  or  specimens  of  natiye 
art  whicli  might  fall  into  his  hands. 

“ When  the  gentlemen,  together  with  their  yakou- 
nins,  were  installed  in  the  bookstore,  the  owner  at 
once  furnished  them  with  the  ‘ Almanac  of  Miako,’ 
which  was  on  hand.  He  stated  that  the  ‘ Yedo  An- 
nual ’ was  also  to  be  had,  and,  pushing  aside  a screen, 
entered  the  next  room.  One  of  the  yakounins  accom- 
panied him  ; presently  the  two  returned,  the  bookseller 
stammering  out  that  he  had  no  ‘ Annuals  ’ to  sell. 

‘ Well,’  said  one  of  the  Prussian  secretaries,  ‘ send  to 
another  shop  for  them  ; we  will  wait  here.’  There- 
upon there  was  a moyement  among  the  yakounins, 
consultations  in  the  street,  and  prolonged  absence  of 
the  bookseller.  During  this  time  the  three  strangers 
lighted  their  cigars,  and  asked  an  employe  of  the  es- 
tiiblishment  to  bring  them  boxes  to  .sit  upon,  and  to 
place  before  them  all  tlie  illustrated  works  in  the  shop. 
When  the  owner  returned,  he  bowed  to  the  ground, 
and  sished  out : ‘ The  “ Annual  ” cannot  be  had  in 
the  neiffiiborhood,  and  it  is  now  too  late  to  send  to  the 
castle.’ 

“ ‘ What  of  that  ? ’ was  the  reply.  ‘ Send  your  boy 
for  it ! For  our  part,  we  are  going  to  haye  our  dinner 
brought  here  ; we  shall  not  leaye  you  until  we  haye 
the  “ Annual.”  ’ 

“ M.  Metman  thereupon  wrote  a note,  which  he  sent 


140 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


to  the  steward  of  the  Legation  by  one  of  the  men  of 
the  escort.  Tlie  bookseller  also  gave  a commission  to 
one  of  his  employes,  and  the  review  of  illustrated 
works  was  continued  until  the  arrival  of  four  coolies, 
carrying  at  the  extremity  of  their  bamboo  poles,  the 
lacquered  boxes  and  wicker  baskets  containing  the  din- 
ner. 

“ The  meal  was  spread  upon  the  matting;  the  yakou- 
nins  and  the  bookseller  were  invited  to  take  part  in  it, 
but  they  politely  declined.  Nevertheless,  when  the 
sound  of  champagne  corks  began  to  be  heard,  they 
drew  nearer,  and  the  foaming  glasses  soon  cii’culated 
around  the  shop.  ‘ Have  you  anything  more  to  show 
us  by  wa}’’  of  dessert  ? ’ asked  M.  Metman. 

“ The  bookseller  answered : ‘ You  already  know  the 
contents  of  my  shop.  I have  nothing  more  to  show 
except  some  drawings,  sketches  on  detached  sheets, 
made  by  two  artists  of  Yedo,  lately  deceased.  It  is 
all  which  they  have  left  to  their  families,  who  have 
given  me  the  useless  legacy  for  a small  supply  of  rice. 
Here  ai’e  still  the  old  sheets  on  which  they  tried  their 
pencils.  If  you  like  the  sketches,  take  the  package 
along  with  the  books  you  have  bought.’ 

“ M.  Metman  called  the  coolies,  and  ordered  them 
to  fill  their  baskets  with  the  dishes,  the  packages  of 
books  and  drawings  ; but  to  leave  the  bottles  and  the 
remainder  of  the  dinner  for  the  yakounins  and  the  peo- 
ple of  the  house.  Then,  turning  to  the  bookseller,  ne 
said  : ‘ Will  it  be  necessary,  do  you  think,  to  order  cur 
mattresses  and  quilts,  in  order  to  pass  the  night  here  ? 
Now  is  the  time  to  send  for  them  by  the  coolies.’ 

“ A general  hilarity  succeeded  this  question  ; then 


THE  CITIZENS'  QUARTER. 


141 


there  were  whisperings  and  goings  to  and  fro,  between 
the  sliop  and  tlie  street,  vvdiere  an  increasing  crowd  uf 
curious  spectators  endeavored  to  find  out  what  strange 
drama  was  beino  enacted.  At  last  the  owner  and  his 
employe  reappeared,  bearing  some  volumes  under  their 
arms.  He  bowed  again,  and  placed  in  the  hands  cf 
th"  strangers,  evidently  with  the  consent  of  the  yakou- 
nins,  two  perfectly  authentic  copies  of  the  official  ‘An- 
nual of  Yedo. 

“ I passed  the  night  in  examining  the  precious  col- 
lection. It  was  composed  of  thirty  illustrated  works 
and  a quantity  of  sheets,  loose  or  sewed  together. 
Here  were  old  encyclo])aedias,  eniiched  with  plates 
which  seemed  to  have  issued  from  the  German  work- 
shops of  the  Middle  Ages ; there,  albums  of  sketches 
in  India  ink,  reproduced  on  wood,  or  collections  of 
stories  and  popular  scenes,  illustrated  with  pictures 
in  two  tints,  produced  by  a process  unknown  to  us. 
Numerous  paintings  on  silk  and  rice  paper  represented 
the  bridges,  the  markets,  the  theatres,  all  the  places  of 
meeting,  and  all  the  types  of  the  laboring  classes  and 
the  burgher  society  of  Y^edo.  But  nothing  of  all  these 
equaled  in  importance  the  posthumous  work  of  the 
two  poor  unknown  artists,  for  the  latter  revealed  to  me 
both  the  favorite  subjects  and  the  style  of  the  modern 
school  of  Jaj)anese  painters.  These  sketches,  inspired 
by  the  scenes  of  the  streets  and  public  gardens,  were 
a veritable  treasure  for  the  study  of  the  people  of 
Yedo.  These  dusty  and  spotted  bundles,  wherein  I 
found  a hundred  and  two  finished  pictures  and  a hun- 
dred and  thirty  rough  sketches,  devoted  exclusively  to 
the  classes  which  live  outside  of  the  Castle,  the  aristo- 


142 


TRAVELS  /xV  JAPAN. 


cratic  quarters,  the  barracks  and  tlie  monasteries,  were 
a mine  to  be  wmrked  ! Such  a collection  was  for  me 
the  surest  guide,  the  most  faithful  interj)reter  which  I 
could  have  consulted,  before  plunging  into  the  laby- 
rinth of  streets,  quays,  and  canals  which  thread  the 
masses  of  the  dwellings  of  the  hourgeoise  population, 
on  both  sides  of  the  river. 

“ The  district  of  Nipon-bassi,  or  the  Bi-idge  of  Nipon, 
which  is  the  heart  of  the  city,  coTitains  in  a space  of 
four  square  kilometres,  five  longitudinal,  and  twenty- 
two  cross  streets,  cuttino;  the  former  at  rif>;ht  anorles, 
and  forming  seventy-eight  blocks  of  houses,  each  being 
almost  the  exact  model  of  the  other.  Navigable  canals 
surround  this  long  parallelogram  on  the  four  sides,  and 
fifteen  bridtres  give  it  communication  with  the  other 
parts  of  the  city.  Although  they  have  a character  so 
completely  homogeneous,  these  quarters  of  the  city  do 
not  leave  that  impression  of  fastidious  monotony  which 
the  mansions  belonging  to  the  court  or  the  feudal  nobil- 
ity rarely  fail  to  produce.  The  houses  of  the  citizens, 
not  less  than  the  palaces,  do  not  vary  from  the  type  of 
architecture  which  is  appropriate  to  them  : they  are 
simple  constructions  of  wood,  but  two  stories  in  height, 
the  upper  one  bordered  by  a gallery  looking  upon  the 
street,  with  a low  I'oof  covered  with  slate-colored  tiles, 
and  having  plaster  ornaments  at  the  extremities  of  the 
ridge-pole.  But  if  the  frame  be  the  same,  the  pictures 
which  it  incloses  are  delightful  in  their  variety,  unex- 
pectedness, and  picturesque  originality. 

“ Here  at  the  entrance  of  a street  of  Nipon-bassi, 
there  is  a barber’s  shop,  where  three  citizens,  in  the 
simplest  apparel,  come  to  make  their  moiming  toilette. 


THE  CITIZENS’  QUARTER. 


143 


S<;ated  on  stools,  they  gravely  hold  up  with  the  .eft 
hand  the  lacquered  dish  which  receives  tne  spoils  of  the 
razor  or  scissors.  The  artists,  on  their  side,  relieved 
of  evervthino;  which  mav  restrict  the  freedom  ot  their 
movements,  bend  to  the  right  or  left  of  their  custom- 
ers’ lieads,  which  they  traverse  with  hand  or  instru- 
ment, like  ancient  sculptors  modeling  caryatides. 

“ A few  steps  further,  we  find  a shoemaker’s  shop. 
It  bristles  with  wooden  hooks,  from  which  hang  innu- 
merable pairs  of  straw  sandals.  The  owner,  squatted 
on  his  counter,  reminds  me  of  one  of  those  native  idols, 
to  which  the  pilgrims  make  offerings  of  shoes.  Per- 
sons of  both  se.xes  stop  in  front  of  him,  e.xamine  the 
sandals  or  try  them  on,  exchange  some  friendly  words 
with  him,  and  lay  the  proper  price  at  his  feet  without 
disturbing  him. 

“ Then  follow  shops  for  the  sale  of  sea-weed,  several 
varieties  of  which  are  cooked  and  eaten  by  the  people. 
There  is  also,  in  Yedo,  an  enormous  consumption  of 
shell-fish.  Oysters  are  abundant  and  fleshy,  but  not 
very  delicate  ; the  Japanese  have  no  other  way  of  open- 
ing them  e.xcept  to  break  the  upper  shell  with  a stone. 
At  Uraga  a large  species  of  oyster  is  dried  and  ex- 
ported to  all  parts  of  the  empire  ; the  trade  therein  is 
said  to  be  a royalty  of  the  Tycoon. 

“ The  show  of  the  seed-stores  of  Yedo  is  very  at- 
tractive. The  quantity  and  infinite  variety  of  the  prod- 
ucts offered,  the  diversity  of  their  forms  and  colors, 
the  art  with  which  they  are  arrancred  on  the  shelves, 
all  combine  to  attract  the  attention  ; but  we  are  filled 
with  surprise  and  admiration  on  perceiving  that  each 
one  of  the  packages  already  enveloped  in  paper,  each 


141 


TRAVELS  IN  Ja.PAN. 


one  of  tlie  cones  ready  for  sale,  bears,  with  the  name 
of  tlie  seed,  a sketch  in  colors  of  the  plant  itself.  The 
illustration  is  often  a little  masterpiece,  which  seems  to 
hav£  been  stolen  from  some  charmino;  floral  album. 
We  soon  discover  the  artist  and  his  studio, — that  is, 
some  vouno;  workman  of  the  establishment,  stretched 
at  full  length  upon  mats  sprinkled  with  flowers  and 
sheets  of  paper,  and  in  this  singular  attitude  making 
every  touch  of  his  brush  produce  the  true  effect. 

“ As  we  a|iproach  the  central  bridge  of  the  district 
the  crowd  increases,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  street  the 
shops  give  place  to  popular  restaurants,  to  pastry-shops 
of  rice  and  millet,  and  the  sale  of  tea  and  hot  saki. 
Here  w'e  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  great  fish  mar- 
ket. The  canal  is  covered  with  boats,  which  land  fresh 
sea-fish  and  the  product  of  the  rivers,  the  fish  of  the 
polar  currents  and  those  of  the  equatorial  stream,  tor- 
toises of  the  bay  of  Nipon,  defonned  polypi,  and  fan- 
tastic Crustacea.  Siebold  counted,  in  this  market- 
place, seventy  different  varieties  of  fish,  crabs,  and 
mollusks,  and  twenty-six  kinds  of  mussels  and  other 
shell-fish. 

“ The  stalls,  roughly  erected  near  the  landing-place, 
are  besieged  by  jmrveyors  who  come  to  purchase  at  the 
auctions.  Amid  the  tumultuous  throngs  vigorous  arms 
are  seen  lifting  the  heavy  baskets  and  emptying  them 
into  the  lacquered  boxes  of  the  coolies ; from  time  to 
time  the  crowd  gives  way  to  let  two  coolies  pass,  carry-  • 
ing  a porpoise,  a dolphin,  or  a shark,  suspended  by 
cords  to  a bamboo  across  their  shoulders.  The  Japan- 
ese boil  the  flesh  of  these  animah  ; they  even  salt  down 
the  blubber  of  whales. 


JAPANESE  TOOK. 


THE  CITIZENS'  QUARTER. 


145 


“ Towanl  tlie  middle  of  the  dav,  diiriiis  the  liot  sea- 
son,  the  streets  of  Yedo  become  deserted;  tlie  shores 
of  the  canals  are  lined  with  empty  boats,  fastened  to 
the  j)iles.  No  clamor,  no  noise  comes  np  from  the 
dspths  of  the  great  city.  If  we  still  distinguish,  here 
and  there,  either  a traveller  or  a couple  of  pilgrims, 
hurrying  along  to  reach  their  midday  i*esting-place, 
they  walk  in  silence,  with  bowed  heads  and  eyes 
fatigued  with  the  glare  of  the  road.  The  rays  of  the 
sun  make  broad  luminous  zones,  whereon  are  drawn 
the  outlines  of  the  shadows  which  fall  from  broad  roofs 
upon  the  flag-stones  of  the  pavements,  or  from  centen- 
ary trees  upon  the  turf  of  the  gardens. 

“ The  population  of  the  streets  and  canals  is  with- 
drawn within  the  hostelries  or  private  dwellings,  where, 
in  the  remote  basement  rooms,  they  enjoy  the  principal 
meal  of  the  day,  and  then  give  two  or  three  hours  to 
sleep.  In  pursuing  our  route  from  street  to  street, 
along  the  shaded  sidewalks,  the  eve  looks  throucrh  the 
openings  between  the  screens,  detects  the  household 
interiors,  and  catches  glimpses  of  picturesque  groups 
of  men,  women,  and  children,  squatted  around  their 
simple  dinner. 

“ The  table-cloth,  made  of  woven  straw,  is  spread 
upon  the  floor  matting.  In  the  centre  is  placed  a great 
bowl  of  lacquered  wood,  containing  rice,  which  is  the 
basis  of  food  with  all  classes  of  Japanese  society.  The 
usual  manner  of  preparing  it,  is  to  place  it  in  a small 
keg  of  very  light  wood,  which  is  then  dropped  into  a 
kettle  of  boiling  water.  Each  guest  attacks  the  com- 
mon supply,  taking  as  much  rice  as  will  fill  and  heap  a 
large  porcelain  bowl,  which  he  sets  to  his  lips,  eating 
10 


146 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


without  tlie  use  of  cliop-sticks  until  the  supply  is  nearly 
exhausted,  when  he  adds  to  the  rice  some  pieces  of  fish, 
crabs,  or  fowls,  taken  from  the  dish  appropriated  to 
animal  food.  Tlie  meats  are  seasoned  willi  sea-salt, 
pepper,  and  soy,  a very  pungent  sauce  produced  by  the 
fermentation  of  a variety  of  black  beans.  Soft  or  hard 
eggs,  cooked  vegetables,  such  as  turnips,  carrots,  sweet 
potatoes,  pickles  made  of  sliced  bamboo  sprouts,  and  a 
salad  made  of  the  bulbous  roots  of  the  lotus,  complete 
the  bill  of  fare  of  an  ordinary  Japanese  dinner. 

“ Tea  and  saki  are  necessary  accompaniments,  both 
being  generally  taken  hot  and  without  sugar.  I have 
never  examined  the  beautiful  utensils  of  a Japanese 
meal, — their  bowls,  cups,  saucers,  boxes,  wooden  plates, 
their  porcelain  urns,  cups,  and  flagons,  their  tea-pots  of 
glazed  porous  earthenware  ; and  I have  never  watched 
the  guests  at  the  table,  with  the  grace  of  their  move- 
ments and  the  dexterity  of  their  small  and  elegant 
hands,  without  fancying  them  to  be  a company  of  large 
children,  playing  at  housekeeping,  and  eating  for  amuse- 
ment rather  than  to  satisfy  their  appetites.  The  dis- 
eases resulting  from  excess  at  the  table  or  an  unwhole- 
some diet  are  generally  unknown  ; but  the  immoderate 
use  of  their  national  drink,  frequently  gives  rise  to  se- 
rious disorders.  I myself  saw  more  than  one  case  of 
delirium  tremens. 

“Notwithstanding  the  ease  with  which  Yedo  micrht 
b'j  su])plied  with  excellent  water,  the  peojde  are  almost 
entirely  dependent  on  cisterns.  From  this  cause,  and 
the  recklessness  with  which  they  eat  unripe  fruit,  the 
cholera  and  dysentery  make  great  ravages  among  them. 
Their  pojjular  hygiene  prescribes  I’ttle  except  hot  baths. 


JAPANESE  RESTAURANT  AT  YEDO. 


THE  CITIZENS'  QUARTEB. 


147 


which  they  take  every  day.  This  passion  for  cleanli- 
ness, the  salubrity  of  their  climate,  the  excellent  char- 
acter of  their  aliment,  ought  to  make  the  Japanese  the 
most  healthy  and  robust  people  in  the  world.  Never- 
theless, there  are  few  races  more  afflicted  with  all  sorts 
of  cutaneous  affections,  and  certain  forms  of  chronic 
and  incurable  disease,  the  cause  of  which  cannot 
cei'tainly  be  found  in  the  natural  conditions  of  their 
lives. 

There  are  a great  many  physicians  in  Japan,  and 
especially  at  Yedo.  Those  attached  to  the  court  of  the 
Tvcoon  belong  to  the  class  of  small  nobles,  w'earing 
two  sabres,  shaving  the  head,  and  possessing  a rank 
more  or  less  elevated,  according  to  their  offlcial  stand- 
ing. The  first,  limited  in  number,  comprises  the  i)hy- 
sicians  attached  to  the  house  of  the  sovereign,  who  have 
no  practice  outside  of  the  palace.  The  fees  which 
they  receive,  in  money  or  supplies,  represent  an  annual 
income  of  from  three  to  four  thousand  dollars.  Those 
of  the  second  category  are  the  officers  of  health,  at- 
tached to  the  army  in  time  of  war,  who  receive  a salary 
of  about  two  thousand  dollars.  When  they  are  not  in 
service,  they  occasionally  practice  in  private  families. 
The  members  of  both  classes  are  appointed  by  the 
government. 

“ As  there  are  no  examinations  required  for  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  each  one  adopts  the  profession  at  wdll 
and  practices  according  to  his  own  method.  Some  re- 
tain the  routine  of  the  native  quacks  ; others  treat  their 
patients  according  to  the  rules  of  Chinese  medical  art ; 
others,  again,  acquire  a smattering  of  European  ideas, 
tlxrough  the  Dutch.  The  wish  of  the  people  is  to  have 


148 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


plenty  of  physicians  in  case  of  need,  and  to  be  dosed 
according  to  tliree  systems  at  once,  rather  than  a sin- 
gle good  one. 

“The  Japanese  doctors  are  easily  recognized  by 
tiieir  severe  air,  their  measured  gait,  and  several  curi- 
ous peculiarities,  which  they  appear  to  adopt  purposely, 
according  to  their  fancy.  I have  seen  them  with  the 
head  shaven  like  a priest,  with  long  locks  rounded  at 
the  neck,  or  even  with  a flowing  beard.  In  this  ma:i- 
ner  they  acquire  a general  consideration  among  the 
people,  and  are  often,  especially  in  the  houses  of  the 
aristocracy,  paid  rather  by  external  forms  of  respect 
than  by  dollars.  Such,  indeed,  are  the  conditions  of 
life  in  most  families,  that,  toward  the  end  of  the  year, 
after  having  met  all  the  indispensable  expenses,  includ- 
ing family  festivals,  the  theatre,  baths,  priests,  and  ex- 
cursions of  pleasui'e,  there  remains  very  little  for  the 
doctor.  Nevertheless,  the  latter  philosophically  accepts 
tlie  situation.  He  often  exhibits  a genuine  disinterest- 
edness, and  a zeal  in  the  exercise  of  his  profession, 
which  presumes  a passion  for  science  ; and  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  the  Japanese  physicians  will  probably 
be  among;  the  first  to  contribute  to  tbp  nrogress  of  civ- 
ilization  in  their  country. 

“ The  Dutch  physicians,  within  the  past  fifteen  years, 
have  successfully  introduced  vaccination  at  Nagasaki, 
and  the  use  of  anatomical  models  into  the  medical 
.school  at  Mikado.  In  September,  1859,  Doctor  Van 
Meerdervort,  having  obtained  the  necessary  authority 
from  the  Tycoon,  assembled  forty-five  Japanese  phy- 
sicians on  a promontory  of  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki,  and 
from  eight  in  the  morning  until  sunset  dissected  the 


THE  CITIZENS’  QUARTER. 


149 


body  of  a culprit  who  had  been  executed.  1 ere  was 
considerable  excitement  among  the  people,  )ut  the 
governor  allayed  it  by  issuing  the  following  ] oclama- 
tion  : ‘ Considering  that  the  body  of  the  n ilefactor 
has  been  of  service  to  medical  science,  an  I conse- 
quently to  the  public  good,  tlie  government  un  lertakes 
to  provide,  within  twenty-four  hours,  honorabl  . burial 
for  the  remains  of  the  criminal,  with  the  coo  ration 
of  the  ministers  of  religion.’  ” 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  BRIDGES  OF  YEDO. THE  POLICE. 

F all  the  great  cities  of  the  world,  Yedo  seems 


to  me  the  most  favored  by  nature,  in  regard  to 


situation,  climate,  richness  of  vegetation,  and  abund- 
ance of  runnino;  water.  It  is  seated  at  the  mouth  of 
two  rivers,  one  of  which  washes  the  eastern  side  of  the 
Hondjo,  and  the  other,  traversing  from  north  to  south 
the  most  populous  quarters  of  the  city,  separates  the 
Hondjo  from  the  latter  and  from  the  two  suburbs  of 
Asaksa. 

“ Basins  with  locks,  ponds,  moats,  a complete  net- 
work of  navigable  canals,  connect  the  natural  courses  of 
the  rivers,  and  carry  to  the  heart  of  the  city  proper, 
as  well  as  to  all  parts  of  the  Hondjo,  the  movements 
of  commerce  and  life  throughout  the  immense  capital. 

“ Amono;  the  numerous  canals  which  radiate  from 
the  moats  of  the  castle,  the  most  important  is  that  which 
is  spanned  by  the  famous  Bridge  of  Nipon.  From  the 
summit  of  this  bridge,  which  is  a high  arch,  the  most 
picturesque  view  of  Yedo  may  be  obtained.  Looking 
toward  the  south,  w'e  see  on  the  horizon  the  white 
pyramid  of  Fusi-yama ; on  the  right  the  city  is  domi- 
nated by  the  terraces,  parks,  and  square  towers  of  the 
residence  of  the  Tycoon.  In  the  same  direction,  as 
far  as  its  junction  with  the  moats  of  the  castle,  the 


THE  BRIDGES  OF  YEDO. 


151 


canal  of  Nipon-bassi  is  lined,  on  both  sides,  with  store- 
houses of  silk,  cotton,  rice,  and  saki.  To  tlie  left, 
beyond  tlie  fish-market,  the  view  is  lost  amoiifr  the 
streets  and  canals  leadino;  toward  the  0<rawa  River. 
Hundreds  of  long  barks,  transporting  wood,  charcoal, 
bamboo  canes,  matting,  covered  baskets,  boxes,  bar- 
rels, or  large  fish,  thread  the  navigable  wavs  in  all 
directions,  while  the  streets  seem  to  be  exclusively 
given  up  to  the  circulation  of  the  peoj)le.  From  time 
to  time,  it  is  true,  we  distinguish  among  the  crowds 
of  pedestrians  a drove  of  horses  or  of  black  buffaloes, 
heavily  laden,  the  latter  wearing  double  strings  of  bells 
over  their  flanks  ; or  two-wheeled  carts,  whereupon  four 
or  five  tiers  of  bales  and  boxes  are  artistically  piled, 
drawn  by  coolic,s.  No  other  sound  of  wheels  is  heard  ; 
the  noise  of  wooden  sandals  on  the  sidewalks,  and  the 
reverberating  bridges,  the  confused  sounds  from  the 
canals,  with  the  bells  of  the  buffaloes,  and  the  measured 
cries  of  the  coolies,  form  altogether  a strange  harmonv, 
which  has  no  resemblance  to  the  voice  of  any  other 
city.  For  each  of  the  great  capitals  has  its  own  pe- 
culiar tongue.  In  London  it  is  the  hollow  roar  of  a 
rising  tide  : in  Yedo,  the  murmur  of  the  retiring  wave. 

“ The  harbor  for  junks  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  large 
river.  The  poj)ulation,  on  both  banks,  is  essentially 
plebeian.  With  the  exception  of  some  mansions  of 
the  second  and  third  class,  these  quarters  are  filled 
with  the  dwellings  of  fishermen,  mariners,  mechanics, 
and  small  tradesmen.  The  great  bridge  of  Yetai, 
the  squares,  and  neighboring  streets  are  constantly 
enlivened  with  crowds  of  people,  the  greater  part  of 
whom  seem  to  have  no  other  object  than  recreation. 


152 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ Tliere  are  no  less  than  four  enormous  bridges 
thrown  across  the  river,  at  nearly  regular  intervals  of 
from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes’  walk,  and  the-  open 
squares  abutting  them,  on  both  shores,  are  equally  spa- 
cious. The  O-bassi,  or  Great  Bridge,  is  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  length,  and  rests,  like  all 
the  others,  on  some  twenty  piers,  each  formed  of  throe 
transverse  piles,  strongly  connected  by  cross-pieces. 
.Another  bridge,  of  sixteen  piers,  communicates  with 
the  northern  suburb  of  luaka,  with  its  orchards,  vil- 
lages, and  rustic  tea-houses.  It  is  a region  of  rich 
culture,  and  charming  landscapes ; and  the  favorite  re- 
sort of  the  citizens,  for  their  picnics  and  family  par- 
ties. 

“•  The  third  bridge  from  the  bay  may  be  considered 
as  the  centre  of  the  nocturnal  recreations  of  the  citizens 
and  the  small  nobles.  The  great  river,  at  this  point,  is 
not  deep  enough  for  the  trading  junks  ; but  its  surface 
is  so  broad  that  hundreds  of  light  craft  have  room  to 
ply  in  all  directions.  During  the  serene  nights  of 
summer,  rafts  laden  with  fireworks  float  along  the 
stream  and  send  towards  heaven  their  sheaves  of 
rockets  and  clusters  of  fiery  stars.  Gondolas,  hung 
with  lanterns  of  brilliant  colors,  glide  around,  or  pass 
from  one  shore  to  another  ; while  the  larger  barks,  all 
garlanded  with  flags  and  lanterns,  go  up  and  down 
with  merry  companies,  and  the  sound  of  guitars  and 
songs.  It  is  the  very  picture  of  a Venetian  festival, 
only  with  different  decorations.  The  large  boats,  how- 
ever, generally  belong  to  the  proprietors  of  tea-houses, 
who  rent  them  by  the  hour  to  families,  or  social  com- 
panies, furnishing  also  the  refreshments  and  music. 


THE  BRIDGES  OF  YEDO. 


153 


The  neighborhood  of  the  bridges,  far  from  injuring 
the  effect  of  these  simple  concerts,  rather  adds  to  them 
a special  charm.  Seated  at  the  threshold  of  a tea- 
house, near  the  middle  bridge,  we  may  easily  pass 
several  hours,  indulging  in  the  Japanese  idleness,  with 
the  sound  of  song,  and  the  tinkling  of  musical  instru- 
ments rising  above  the  murmurs  of  the  crowd.  In 
the  intervals  of  silence  we  can  hear  the  distant  noise 
of  the  multitudes  crossing  the  lonor  wooden  structures. 

O O 

Mo  rolling  of  wheels,  none  of  the  discordant  clamors 
of  European  cities  come  to  break  the  charm  of  the 
impression.  In  Euroj)e,  indeed,  only  Venice  gives  the 
same  movement  of  the  people,  the  same  mixture  of 
footsteps,  voices,  songs,  and  music,  which  yet  do  not 
disturb  the  feeling  of  revery.  The  Ogawa  River  re- 
calls the  Grand  Canal,  and  the  vicinity  of  the  chief 
bridges  of  Yedo,  like  the  public  squares  of  Venice, 
are  the  rendezvous  of  the  population. 

“ As  to  the  musical  enjoyments  of  tlie  Japanese,  I 
must  confess  that  they  can  only  be  appreciated  by 
native  ears.  Their  melodies  have  something  strange, 
something  wliich  we  cannot  seize.  The  musical  theory 
upon  which  they  are  based  is  not  yet  known  ; Jap- 
anese music  is  very  rich  in  semitones,  possibly  ij 
quarter-tones.  Their  musical  instruments  are  also  dis 
tinguished  by  their  originality.  Those  with  strings  are 
made  of  the  light  and  resonant  wood  of  the  Paulownia 
imperialis,  and  the  strings  of  fine  silk,  covered  with  a 
light  coating  of  lacquer.  The  chief  instruments  are 
the  sam»in,  a species  of  guitar  with  three  strings,  and 
the  gotto,  something  between  a harp  and  a cither, 
with  thirteen  strings. 

O 


154 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ Among  the  contrasts  which  Japanese  society  offers, 
there  is  one  whicli  manifests  itself  witli  a sort  of  per- 
verse fatality,  in  almost  all  the  streets  of  Yedo.  On 
one  side,  there  is  the  orderly  aspect  of  the  city,  on  the 
other,  the  barbarity  of  manners  revealed  by  a certain 
class  of  official  arrangements.  Thus,  while  admiring 
the  excellent  condition  of  the  squares,  promenades, 
and  ways  of  communication,  the  orderly  character  of 
the  markets,  and  the  movement  of  the  crowds,  all  at 
once  we  are  disagreeably  surprised  to  find  in  advance, 
or  or  turning  the  angle  of  a street,  a high  and  heavy 
barrier  of  wood,  painted  black,  like  a hideous  indica- 
tion of  some  scene  of  trouble,  or  violence,  behind  it. 
These  barriers,  which  are  guarded  by  the  agents  of 
the  Tycoon,  have  a great  central  gate  and  two  side 
doors,  open  during  the  day,  as  least  so  long  as  order  is 
preserved,  but  regvtlarly  closed  at  nine  or  ten  o'clock 
at  night.  Those  who  are  out  late  are  obliged  to  pull 
the  cord  beside  one  of  these  doors,  and  to  answer  such 
questions  as  the  chief  yakounin  of  the  post  may  ad- 
dress to  them  through  a wicket.  The  citizen  is  al- 
lowed to  pass  through  the  side-door,  but  the  central 
])ortal  is  opened  wide  for  a nobleman. 

“ By  day,  when  the  police  wish  to  make  arrests, 
domiciliary  visits,  to  intervene  in  a street  tumult,  or  to 
give  succor  in  case  of  some  serious  accident,  they 
commence  by  isolating  the  theatre  of  their  operations, 
bv  closino;  these  barriers. 

“ Coarse  manners  and  boisterous  habits  characterize 
the  coolies,  the  boatmen,  and  the  grooms  of  the  lower 
city,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ogawa  River.  They  are 
PftVP”  without  fierce  quarrels  and  rivalries.  In  certain 


THE  POLICE. 


155 


cases  they  agree  upon  certain  liarmless  trials  of  strength, 
the  most  original  of  which  is  carried  out  upon  one  of 
the  arched  bridges  over  the  canals.  The  lar^e  cable 
of  a junk  is  drawn  from  one  shore  to  another  over  the 
sj)an  of  the  bridge  ; the  members  of  each  party  then 
take  hold  of  the  ends.  As  soon  as  the  signal  has  been 
given  by  tlie  judges  posted  on  the  middle  of  the  bridge, 
hundreds  of  muscular  arms  begin  to  pull,  and  with 
their  whole  strength  in  opposite  directions.  The  rope 
grows  taut,  stretches,  remains  motionless  and  quiver- 
ing, until  finally  one  of  the  parties,  yielding  to  fatigue, 
lets  go  suddenly,  giving  up  the  contest.  The  great 
attraction  of  the  struggle  is  in  this  final  catastrophe, 
which  covers  the  earth  with  a crowd  of  combatants, 
tumbled  pell-mell  over  each  other.  But  it  is  still 
better  when  the  cable  suddenly  breaks,  and  both  par- 
ties, without  the  exception  of  a single  man,  bite  the  dust 
at  the  same  time,  uttering  a general  groan.  To  the 
hollow  sound  of  their  fall  succeed  endless  clamors,  an 
indescribable  confusion,  a vortex  of  men  who  scramble 
to  their  feet,  withdraw,  give  themselves  up  to  parox- 
ysms of  mad  hilarity,  meet  their  rivals  on  the  bridge, 
and  go  together  to  the  neighboring  tea  houses,  to  drink 
a general  reconciliation  in  cups  of  saki. 

“ It  is  a part  of  the  policy  of  the  Japanese  govern- 
ment to  exercise  a great  deal  of  indulgence  toward  the 
passions  of  the  people.  One  of  the  oldest  European 
residents  at  Nagasaki  informed  me  that  he  had  seen, 
from  the  balcony  of  a native  restaurant,  a veritable 
pitched  battle  between  the  inhabitants  of  two  neighbor- 
ing streets.  Both  parties  had  inherited  mutual  hatred 
from  their  fathers,  and  had  long  byof)  jn  a condition  of 


156 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  bitterest  enmity.  The  feeling  finally  grew  to  an 
outbreak ; both  sides  armed  themselves  with  bamboo 
sticks,  arranged  themselves  in  lines,  and  with  loud 
cries  began  the  battle.  The  police  were  soon  upon  the 
s])ot,  but  they  contented  themselves  with  closing  the 
black  barriers  all  around  the  field  of  conflict  to  prevent 
interruption,  and  for  two  hours  allowed  the  fight  to  go 
on.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  the  governor  of  the  city, 
satisfied  that  he  was  fulfilling  the  secret  wish  of  bcth 
parties,  sent  agents  commanding  them  to  withdraw  to 
their  respective  streets,  which  they  did  at  once,  without 
the  least  objection  ! 

“ In  proportion  as  the  field  of  my  studies  and  observa- 
tions increased,  furnishing  each  day  some  new  cause  of 
satisfaction,  it  became  evident  that  our  relations  with 
the  authority  in  the  castle  of  Yedo  grew  more  difficult 
and  uncertain.  There  were  certain  indications  which 
led  us  to  believe  that  a rupture  between  Japan  and 
England  was  imminent.  The  feudal  party  prayed  for 
this,  and  even  solicited  the  Tycoon  to  order  the  indis- 
criminate expulsion  of  all  foreigners.  Menaces  had 
even  been  uttered  against  the  reigning  dynasty,  in  the 
Council  of  Daimios.  A nocturnal  encounter  in  which 
the  people  of  the  castle  were  victorious,  was  the  subject 
of  mysterious  conversations  among  our  yakounins,  and 
we  had  reason  to  believe  that  a celebrated  chief  of  the 
lonins,  or  bravos,  had  been  left  upon  the  field. 

“ In  spite  of  extraordinary  precautions  taken  by  the 
guard  of  the  Legation,  we  determined  to  employ  the 
remainder  of  our  time  — feeling  confident  that  our 
residence  in  Yedo  would  soon  come  to  an  end  — in 
completing,  as  far  as  might  be  possible,  our  survey  of 


THE  POLICE. 


157 


the  city  and  its  curiosities.  It  appeared  to  us,  from  the 
unusual  agitation  of  the  courtiers,  who  came  to  us  every 
morning  to  offer  their  services,  that  they  liad  received 
some  secret  counsel  from  our  own  guard  or  from  the 
police.  Fatigued  with  the  annoyance,  we  dismissed 
them,  and  made  ourselves  excursions  among  the  shops. 
We  visited  all  that  part  of  the  city  south  of  the  bridge 
of  Yedo,  while  a ])art  of  our  company  passed  over  to 
the  left  bank  of  the  great  river,  and  traversed  on  horse- 
back the  principal  quays  and  most  populous  streets  of 
the  Hondjo.  During  these  interesting  trips,  which 
were  not  disturbed  by  any  disagreeable  incident,  we  so 
completely  forgot  the  state  of  siege  in  which  we  lived 
at  the  Tjoodji,  that  on  returning  it  was  hard  to  pre- 
serve a grave  countenance,  and  not  to  mistake  our 
guards,  clad  in  helmets  and  preposterous  armor,  for 
knights  escaped  from  the  French  comic  opera. 

“ An  interpreter  of  the  Tycoon,  named  Kasuda  Geo- 
giro, who  published  at  Yokohama,  in  July,  1869,  seven 
letters  relating  to  the  internal  troubles  of  Japan  during 
the  seven  previous  years,  affirms  that  the  measures 
taken  by  the  government  in  1863,  both  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  foreign  legations,  and  for  its  own  security, 
were  not  inspired  by  any  chimerical  fears.  The  south- 
ern princes,  in  leaving  their  mansions  in  Yedo,  left  be- 
hind them  bands  of  bravos  secretly  organized  for  the 
purpose  of  defying,  harassing,  and  weakening  the  cen- 
tral power  : political  assassinations,  arson,  conspiracies 
against  foreigners,  and  acts  of  violence  committed  on 
the  merchants  who  had  commercial  relations  with  Yo- 
kohama, were  the  means  by  which  they  endeavored  to 
bring  about  a revolution  of  the  feudal  provinces.” 


CHAPTER  XVT. 


THE  HONDJO, 


HE  long  eastern  portion  of  Yedo,  which  covers 


the  left  bank  of  the  river  Ogawa,  comprises  three 
quarters.  That  of  Snmidagawa,  on  the  north,  belongs 
to  the  suburbs,  and  presents  an  entirely  rustic  charac- 
ter. It  is  covered  with  rice-fields,  kitchen  gardens, 
vast  horticultural  establishments,  and  tea-houses,  spread 
along  the  river  or  scattered  in  the  rear  of  great  or- 
chards  of  pear,  plum,  peach,  and  cherry  trees.  The 
other  two  quarters,  between  the  former  and  the  bay, 
contain  a dense  population,  composed,  for  the  most  part, 
of  fishers,  seamen,  mechanics,  and  tradesmen.  Thus 
the  Hondjo  proper  corresponds  to  the  industrial  quar- 
ters of  our  large  cities.  We  find  there  manufactures 
of  tiles  and  coarse  pottery,  of  cooking  utensils  of  iron, 
paper-mills,  establishments  for  cleaning  and  preparing 
cotton,  domestic  spinneries  of  cotton  and  silk,  dyeing 
establishments  and  others  for  weaving  mats,  baskets,  or 
cloth  stuffs. 

“ Japanese  industry  does  not  yet  make  much  use  of 
machinery.  Nevertheless,  in  the  iron-foundries  one 
frequently  sees  bellows  driven  by  water,  which  is  car- 
ried to  the  wheel  in  bamboo  pipes.  Both  charcoal  and 
stone-coal  are  used  for  the  furnaces.  Women  have 
their  share  in  all  the  industrial  professions,  which  are 


THE  HONDJO. 


169 


nsuallv  carried  on  at  home.  Tliere  are  no  large  man- 
ufactories in  Japan  : tlie  members  of  tlie  laboring  class 
stay  at  home  and  carry  on  their  occupations,  which 
they  interrupt  in  order  to  eat  when  they  are  hungry, 
and  to  rest  whenever  they  j)lease.  In  a company  of 
six  workmen  of  both  sexes,  there  are  almost  always  to 
be  seen  two  smoking  pipes  and  enlivening  the  toil  of 
their  comrades  by  merry  si)eeches.  Thus  is  developed, 
and  transmitted  from  (generation  to  generation  that 
social  instinct,  that  fund  of  good-humor  and  spirit  of 
repartee  which  characterize  the  lower  classes  of  the 
capital. 

“ The  quarters  of  the  Hondjo  are  constructed  on  a 
plan  of  the  most  perfect  regularity.  They  are  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  bay,  on  the  west  by  the  Ogawa 
River,  on  the  east  by  a smaller  river,  and  on  the  north 
by  a canal  which  separates  them  from  the  suburb  of 
Sumidagawa.  Two  canals  traverse  them  from  north 
to  south,  and  three  from  east  to  west.  The  squares, 
thus  formed,  inclose  a world  totally  different  from  that 
upon  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  The  Hondjo  has 
no  commercial  life  ; it  has  neither  the  imposing  masses 
of  residences  of  the  Castle,  nor  the  animation  of  the 
places  reserved  for  the  pleasure  of  the  populace  in  the 
northern  quarters  ; nevertheless,  we  find  there,  exist- 
ing under  special  conditions,  commerce  a«d  industry, 
temples,  palaces,  and  places  of  public  resort.  Some  of 
the  most  important  merchants  of  Japan  reside  in  the 
Hondjo,  but  they  have  their  places  of  business  in  the 
> icinity  of  the  great  bridges. 

“ The  comparative  tranquillity  of  this  region  beyond 
the  river  and  the  facility  with  which  concessions  of 


160 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


large  tracts  of  ground  are  there  obtained,  seems  to 
have  favored  the  establishment  of  numerous  monaster- 
ies, some  of  which  possess  large  temples.  There  are 
forty  of  these  sacred  edifices,  two  of  which  are  devoted 
to  the  ancient  national  worship,  another,  more  than  two 
hundred  feet  in  length,  to  the  Buddhist  faith,  and 
another  dedicated  to  the  Five  Hundred  Genii.  One 
of  the  monasteries  is  celebrated  for  engaging,  twice  a 
year,  all  tlie  cliief  wrestlers  of  Yedo,  who  give  a series 
of  public  performances,  — a pious  speculation,  which 
never  foils  to  attract  to  the  great  lawn  in  front  of  the 
monastery  an  enormous  crowd,  made  up  of  all  classes 
of  society.  Thus,  each  temple  or  monastery  has  its 
own  form  of  advertisement,  and  is  distinguished  by 
some  singularity,  — such  as  the  avenue  of  statues  of 
pigs,  each  nobly  installed  on  a pedestal  of  granite, 
which  we  find  on  approaching  one  of  the  temples. 
Public  opinion  appears  to  accept  without  difficulty 
whatever  device  may  be  pleasing  to  the  bonzes,  with- 
out regard  to  its  character. 

“ A certain  number  of  families  of  the  old  nobility 
have  made  of  the  Hondjo  a sort  of  Faubourg  St.  Ger- 
main, where  they  live  in  a profound  retirement,  far 
from  the  noises  of  the  city  and  protected  from  contact 
with  the  world  of  the  court,  and  the  officers  of  the  gov- 
ernment. There,  the  walls  of  the  Castle  no  longer 
offend  the  eyes  of  the  fierce  daimio.  From  the  sum- 
mits of  the  bridges  arched  over  the  canals,  the  grand 
alleys  of  trees  around  the  Tycoon’s  residence,  seen 
over  the  innumerable  roofs  of  the  merchant  city,  resem- 
ble the  peaceful  shades  of  some  distant  park,  blended 
with  the  hills  around  the  base  of  Fusi-yama. 


I*niE3T  OF  THE  HIGHER  GRADE. 


THE  HONDJO. 


161 


“ There  are  many  workshops  of  sculpture  in  the 
Honcljo.  I liave  never  seen  the  artists  working  in  mar- 
ble, although  there  are  quarries  of  it  in  the  mountains 
of  the  interior.  The  pedestals  of  idols  are  made  of 
granite,  the  candelabra  of  the  sacred  places,  tombs, 
statuettes,  Buddhist  saints,  and  holy  foxes,  of  a very 
fine  sandstone.  Tlie  wood-carvers  make  domestic  al- 
tars of  ricli  network,  elegant  caskets,  elephants’  heads, 
and  monstrous  chimeras  for  the  roofs  of  temples,  wood- 
work and  mosaics  representing  cranes,  geese,  bats, 
mythologic  animals,  the  moon  half  veiled  by  a cloud, 
branches  of  cedars,  pines,  bamboos,  and  palms.  The 
idols,  frecpiently  of  gigantic  size,  which  are  made  in 
the  workshoj)s  of  Yedo,  are  generally  surrounded  by 
an  aureole  gilded  and  painted  in  lively  colors  : the 
guardians  of  heaven,  for  examjde,  in  vermilion,  and 
others  in  indigo. 

Several  interesting  branches  of  industry  are  con- 
nected with  that  of  the  ebony-carvers.  The  frame- 
work of  movable  presses  or  screens  is  required  to  be 
ornamented  with  large  drawings  in  India  ink,  executed 
by  a few  strokes  of  the  pencil,  or  groups  of  trees  and 
flowers  of  brilliant  colors,  or  paintings  of  birds  selected 
for  the  brilliance  of  their  plumage.  All  this  is  done  by 
hand,  in  the  workshops.  The  embroidresses  furnish 
for  the  fire-screens  and  curtains  exquisite  works,  where 
the  silk,  under  the  patient  labor  of  the  needle,  repro- 
duces, according  to  the  choice  of  subjects,  the  lustrous 
texture  of  leaves,  the  velvet  down  of  birds,  the  tufted 
fur  of  animals,  or  the  shining  scales  of  fishes.  Then 
the  braiders  of  silk  floss  add  to  the  luxury  of  the  wood 
u 


162  • 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


work  a decoration  of  garlands  and  knots  of  various 
colors,  surmounted  by  grou]>s  of  flowers  and  birds. 

“The  ohi,  a girdle  which  is  worn  by  all  adult  Japanese 
women,  married  or  single,  with  the  exception  of  the 
ladies  of  princely  families,  is  the  article  of  feminine 
costume  which  presents  the  most  variety,  according  to 
the  taste  or  fancy  of  individuals.  Sometimes  it  is  very 
simple,  sometimes  remarkable  for  the  richness  of  the 
stu.Tor  the  splendor  of  the  embroideries.  It  is  gener- 
ally broad  enough  to  serve  at  the  same  time  as  girdle 
and  corset.  It  is  wound  around  the  body  like  a band- 
age, and  fastened  at  the  back  by  interlacing  the  ends 
so  as  to  produce  a large,  flat  furbelow,  falling  on  the 
hips,  or  floating  with  a graceful  negligence.  A widow, 
who  has  determined  not  to  marry  again,  knots  the 
obi  in  front,  and  the  same  arrangement  is  adopted  for 
female  corpses. 

“ It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  penetrate  into  the  Japanese 
workshops,  especially  under  the  surveillance  of  a squad 
of  yakounins.  In  spite  of  the  promises  of  the  latter, 
I was  not  able  to  see  either  the  process  of  coloring,  or 
the  manufacture  of  rich  silk  stuffs,  or  of  paper.  On 
the  other  hand,  I have  always  found  both  the  wholesale 
and  retail  shops  accessible  even  to  the  rear  chamber, 
where  one  sliould  never  refuse  to  penetrate ; for  the 
Japanese  merchant  takes  no  trouble  to  display  his 
stock.  He  prefers  to  keep  his  best  goods  in  reserve, 
as  if  to  giv^e  his  purchasers  the  satisfaction  of  discov- 
erinor  them.  In  order  to  form  a tolerable  idea  of  the 
richness,  the  variety,  and  the  artistic  merit  of  Japanese 
industry,  we  must  not  otily  traverse  the  commercial 
streets  frequented  by  the  natives,  but  also  imitate  the 


THE  UOXDJO. 


163 


latter  in  returnincr  dav  bv  dav  to  the  same  merchant, 
until  we  have  explored  every  corner  of  his  shop.  This 
is  tlie  more  necessary,  since  there  is  no  general  bazaar, 
each  magazine  or  shop  having  its  specialty. 

“ Certain  foims  of  industiy  are  as  yet  but  little  devel- 
oped, among  others  saddlery,  which  will  be  discouraged 
as  long  as  a religious  prejudice  exists  against  tanners 
and  curriers.  Tliis  circumstance  renders  Japan  tribu- 
tary to  foreign  countries,  especially  since  the  Tycoon 
and  the  princes  rival  each  other  in  zeal  for  the  reform 
of  the  cavalry  and  artillery.  They  import  leather  from 
England,  and  saddles  and  harness  from  Holland  and 
France.  Nevertheless,  I noticed  in  Yedo  a sreat  va- 
riety  of  articles,  of  leather,  tawed  skins  and  shagreen, 
such  as  trunks  and  travelling  satchels,  portfolios,  money 
bags,  tobacco-pouches,  and  hunting-gloves,  all  of  native 
manufacture."’ 


CHAPTER  XVn. 


JAPANESE  ART  AND  INDUSTRY. 

^X^^HATEVER  may  be  tlie  variety  of  industrial 

* ' j)i  oduots  displayed  in  tlie  shops  of  the  commer- 
cial city,  there  is  one  feature  which  characterizes  all  of 
them,  one  common  stamp  which  denotes  their  place 
amoncT  the  works  of  the  far  East,  and  I venture  to  call 
it,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  good  taste. 

“ The  artisan  of  Yedo  is  a veritable  artist.  If  we  ex- 
cept the  conventional  style  to  which  he  still  feels  him- 
self compelled  to  submit,  in  his  representations  of  the 
human  figure,  if  we  overlook  the  insufficiency  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  rules  of  perspective,  we  shall  have 
only  praise  left  for  him  in  all  other  respects.  His 
works  are  distinguished  from  those  of  Miako  by  the 
simplicity  of  his  forms,  the  severity  of  the  lines,  the  so- 
briety of  the  decorations,  and  the  exquisite  feeling  for 
nature  which  he  exhibits  in  all  subjects  of  ornamenta- 
tion drawn  from  the  vegetable  or  animal  kingdom. 
These  are  his  favorite  subjects ; flowers  and  birds  have 
the  power  of  ins])iring  him  with  compositions  which  are 
charming  in  their  truth,  grace,  and  harmony.  In  re- 
gard to  perfection  of  execution,  the  works  produced  in 
both  capitals  are  equally  admii'able. 

“ Let  us  pause  before  a magazine  of  objects  of  art 
and  industry,  among  the  curious  of  both  sexes  and  of 


JAPA^^ESE  ART  AND  INDUSTRY. 


165 


all  ages,  who  never  cease  to  gather  together  under  the 
covered  galieiy  where  the  stores  are  displayed.  They 
contemplate  with  a naive  admiration  tlie  great  aquaria 
of  blue  or  wliite  porcelain,  where  red  fish  float  in  the 
limpid  water  over  beds  of  shells.  In  the  centre,  three 
or  four  selected  plants  combine  in  a picturesque  group 
the  beauty  of  their  colors  and  the  graceful  outlines  of 
their  leaves  and  flowers.  Nothing  of  these  combina- 
tions is  ever  left  to  chance  : every  day  the  gardener’s 
hand  directs  the  work  of  nature,  keeps  it  within  limits, 
and  ooverns  the  growth. 

“ What  is  still  more  remarkable,  the  Japanese  fancy 
never  runs  into  those  aberrations  wdiich  in  China  and 
elsewhere,  outrage  Nature  by  cutting  trees  into  geo- 
metrical figures,  or  training  slirubs  into  the  shapes  of 
animals.  The  taste  of  the  Japanese  in  their  popular 
arts,  remaining  independent  of  the  conventional  influ- 
ences of  their  two  courts,  has  all  the  freshness  of  a nat- 
urally expanding  civilization.  Therefore,  it  is  still 
characterized  by  a certain  puerility  : witness  the  truly 
childish  passion  of  all  classes  of  society  for  enormous 
flowers  and  dwarf  trees.  I have  seen  aquaria,  not  much 
larger  than  ordinary,  where  they  succeeded  in  uniting 
the  features  of  a complete  landscape,  - - a lake,  islands, 
rocks,  a cabin . on  the  shore,  and  hills  with  real  woods 
on  their  summits,  of  living  bamboos  and  cedars  in  min- 
iature.  They  even  sometimes  add  liliputian  figures, 
coming  and  going,  by  means  of  a spring  wliich  is 
■w’ound  up.  , 

“This  sort  of  childishness  is  found  in  a multitude  of 
the  details  of  Japanese  life.  Sometimes  a porcelain 
junk  is  .set  before  a dinner  party  : it  is  taken  to  j)ieces 


166 


TBAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


and  proves  to  be  a unique  and  complete  tea-set.  Often, 
part  of  the  repast  is  served  in  cups  so  minute,  and  porce- 
lain so  fine,  liglit,  and  transparent,  that  one  hardly 
dares  to  touch  it.  There  are  cups,  called  egg-shells, 
so  delicate  that  they  must  be  protected  by  a fine  en- 
velope of  bamboo  netting. 

“ The  saloons  are  adorned  with  bird  and  butterfly 
cages,  crowned  with  vases  of  flowers,  whence  depend 
climbing  jilants  which  cause  the  birds  to  appear  as  if 
nestling  in  verdure.  Under  the  paper  lanterns  sus- 
pended from  the  ceilings  of  the  verandas,  there  are 
often  bells  of  colored  glass,  the  long,  slender  clapper  of 
metal  supported  by  a silk  thread,  or  slip  of  colored  or 
gilded  paper.  At  the  least  movement  of  the  breeze 
these  bands  of  paper  move,  the  metallic  tongues  swing 
and  touch  the  glass  bells,  and  their  vibrations  make  a 
vague  melody,  like  the  sound  of  an  .lEolian  harp. 

“ I saw  at  Yedo  some  attempts  at  painting  on  glass, 
and  some  works  in  enamel,  which  exhibited  good  in- 
tentions rather  than  skill.  I might  mention,  however, 
amonor  the  native  curiosities  which  are  truly  original, 
those  little  balls  of  stone,  pierced,  cut  in  facets  and 
covered  with  enameled  arabesques,  which  strangers 
buy  for  necklaces.  The  art  of  gilding  is  still  but  par- 
tially developed.  The  narratives  cf  the  old  Dutch  em- 
bassies seem  to  have  greatly  exaggerated  the  richness 
of  decoration  of  the  palaces  and  furniture  of  the  Mikado 
and  the  Tycoon.  The  luxury  of  the  Japanese  has  an 
artistic  rather  than  a sumptuous  character.  The  pride 
of  the  old  princes  of  the  empire  is  in  the  antiquity  of 
their  arms  or  fiirniture.  Nothing  has  more  value  in 
their  eyes  than  an  assorted  service  of  old  porcelain, 


JAPANESE  ART  AND  INDUSTRY. 


167 


naturally  cracked,  or  vases  of  ancient  bronze,  heavy, 
black  and  polished  as  marble. 

“ Yedo  is  the  city  where  metals  are  worked  to  the 
greatest  extent.  The  bronze  establishments  of  the 
citv  are  amon<r  the  most  interestino;  curiosities  of  native 
art.  Some  present  the  appearance  of  great  bazaars, 
displaying  all  articles  of  saddlery  and  harness,  as  well 
as  complete  suits  of  armor,  and  cooking  utensils  of  iron, 
copper,  or  tin,  beside  the  bronze  objects.  The  latter 
contain  many  things  belonging  to  Buddhist  worship, 
such  as  richly-chased  bells,  drums,  gongs,  vases  for 
the  altar,  crowns  of  lotus  flowers,  or  vessels  to  hold 
bouquets  of  natural  flowers.  There  are  also  altars  for 
perfumes,  resting  on  tripods,  statues  and  statuettes  of 
saints,  and  such  sacred  aiiimals  as  the  crane,  stork,  tor- 
toise, and  the  fantastic  Corean  dog. 

“ Next  to  the  master-pieces  of  bronze  and  of  porce- 
lain, the  triumph  of  Japanese  industry  is  in  the  fabri- 
cation of  furniture  and  utensils  of  lacquered  wood. 
Such  is  the  talent  with  which  the  native  artisans 
utilize  the  incomparable  Japan  varnish,  the  produce  of 
the  shrub  which  bears  that  name;  such  is  their  skill 
in  combining  its  effects  with  the  results  of  their  dec- 
oi’ative  art,  that  articles  of  fm'uiture  constructed  of 
a material  which  is  almost  valueless,  finally  riv'al  in 
beauty,  and  almost  in  durability,  those  which  we  make 
of  marble  and  j)recious  metals.  The  ebony  workers 
of  Yedo  imitate  works  in  old  lacquer  so  closely  that 
only  an  experienced  e)'e  can  detect  the  difference.  In 
the  interior  decoration  of  cabinets,  boxes,  or  caskets  of 
modern  taste,  they  generally  used  lacquer  of  a brown 
color,  sprinkled  with  flakes  of  gold.  On  the  outside 


168 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  lacquer  is  uniform,  either  red,  brown,  or  black, 
with  ornamental  drawing  in  two  or  three  tints. 

“ The  principal  large  objects  made  of  lacquered  wood 
are  the  norimons  (palanquins)  and  travelling  trunks 
of  nobles,  wardrobes,  toilet  tables,  and  the  pedestals  of 
mirrors  for  ladies  ; etageres,  for  costumes  of  ceremony, 
or  for  the  books  and  scrolls  of  a library ; and  finally, 
different  articles  employed  in  public  or  private  wor- 
ship, such  as  pulpits,  offering- tables,  censer-stands,  tri- 
pods for  gongs,  and  pedestals  for  vaidous  purposes. 

“ Among  the  toilet  articles  there  are  several  boxes, 
which  vary  in  form  and  ornament  according  to  their 
use,  as  for  brushes,  tooth-powder,  rouge,  rice-powder, 
and  other  cosmetics ; for  combs,  hair-pins,  and,  alas ! 
for  false  braids  of  hair.  The  other  accessories  of  the 
feminine  boudoir  are,  a large  oval  watering-pot,  covered 
with  black  lacquer,  sown  with  golden  flowers  ; then  a 
long  box  for  pipes  and  tobacco,  and  finally  a casket  for 
letters,  prudently  bound  by  two  silk  cords,  knotted 
in  a way  of  which  the  owner  alone  knows  the  secret 
There  are  other  boxes  of  an  oblong  form,  which  are 
usually  taken  in  Europe  for  gloves  ; but  the  Japanese 
only  employ  them  in  order  to  send  letters  of  congratu- 
lation, or  thanks,  in  a more  polite  way. 

“ The  liquor  saki,  the  serving  of  which  is  the  most 
ceremonious  part  of  a Japanese  banquet,  is  solemnly 
brought  to  the  guests  in  large  lacquered  pots,  or  long 
metal  cans,  on  a bamboo  tray.  It  is  then  heated  .n 
vessels  of  porcelain.  The  cups,  large  or  small,  are 
of  fine  red  lacquer,  ornamented  with  fancy  designs. 
There  are  collections  of  these  charming  cups,  each  one 


JAPA^IKHE  ART  AND  INDUSTRY. 


169 


of  wliich  represents  a celebi-ated  landscape  of  Japan, 
or  one  of  the  principal  cities  on  the  Tokaido  connect- 
ing the  two  capitals.  Some  hosts,  of  a more  sump- 
tuous taste,  invdta  the  guests  to  drink  from  nautilm 
shells,  mounted  in  silver  filagree.” 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  THE  JAPANESE. 

“ rriHE  higher  schools  which  form  the  University  of 
Yedo  ai’e  perliaps  the  only  neutral  ground 
where  the  children  of  the  Japanese  nobility  daily  meet 
and  live  in  common  with  those  of  the  citizens.  Never- 
theless, the  separation  of  rank  exists  between  them  in 
its  usual  severity.  Their  studies,  also,  differ  in  aim 
and  character.  The  young  gentlemen  only  receive 
a certain  classical  culture,  based  on  the  books  of  Chi- 
nese philosophers ; while  to  scholars  belonging  to  the 
bourgeoisie  is  opened  the  career  of  the  liberal  profes- 
sions, such  as  the  teaching  of  languages,  the  practice  of 
medicine,  or  the  places  of  interpreters,  and  civil  en- 
gineers, under  the  government. 

“The  University  of  Yedo  is  not  only  placed  under 
the  patronage  of  Confucius  ; it  also  dilfuses  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Chinese  philosopher,  and  establishes  them 
among  the  lettered  classes  of  Japanese  society.  This 
policy,  however,  is  not  exercised  under  the  form  of  an 
aggz’essive  propagandism,  openly  hostile  to  the  estab- 
lished creeds  ; it  spares  the  existing  institutions,  but 
destroys  the  faith  which  inspired  them.  I have  heard 
an  interpreter  of  Yedo  say : ‘ The  graduates  of  our 
University  no  longer  believe  anything,’  and  I know 
an  official  from  the  Castle,  w'ho,  at  a diplomatic  dinner. 


A JAPANESK  SCHOOL. 


THE  UTERATURE  OF  THE  JAPANESE.  171 


graciously  declared  that  respectable  people  in  Japan, 
so  far  as  relision  is  concerned,  had  reached  the  same 
level  as  the  same  class  in  other  countries. 

“ The  clergy,  not  feeling  themselves  menaced  in 
their  temporal  position,  maintain  a modest  and  prudent 
attitude  towards  the  literary  class.  The  bonzes  do  not 
dare  to  attack  the  popularity  with  which  the  name  of 
Confucius  is  surrounded,  in  Japan.  He  is  universally 
venerated  there,  under  tlie  title  of  Koo-ci,  a corruption 
of  his  Chinese  name.  But  when  one  seeks  to  explain 
the  influence  which  his  writings  have  exercised  on  Ja- 
panese society,  one  must  recognize  that  they  have  con- 
tributed, more  than  any  other  cause,  not  to  the  civiliza- 
tion, but  to  the  civility  which  distinguishes  it.  The 
worship  which  is  rendered  to  him,  in  the  temple  of  the 
University  at  Yedo,  as  in  China,  is  not  properly  an 
act  of  adoration,  but  a pious  commemoration. 

“ It  is  true,  nevertheless,  that  this  homage  degener- 
ates into  a superstitious  respect  for  the  text  of  the 
master,  strengthened  by  the  difficulties  offered  by  the 
dry  study  of  his  works.  For  the  study  of  a Chinese 
book  is  a labor  the  more  arduous,  even  for  the  Ja- 
panese, because  the  language  of  the  latter  has  no 
analogy  with  that  of  China.  The  Japanese  tongue 
stands  alone  among  the  families  of  languages,  and 
therefore  is  not  only  difficult  to  be  learned,  but  also 
renders  the  acquirement  of  other  languages  difficult  to 
those  who  speak  it. 

“ Another  source  of  confusion  is  the  diversity  of  the 
Japanese  dialects.  At  Hakodadi,  there  is  one,  quite 
distinct;  another  at  Nagasaki,  and  a third  in  the  Loo- 
Choo  archipelago.  In  the  i.sland  of  Nipon  is  preserved 


172 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  ancient  idiom  of  Yainato,  the  classic  lano-uase  of 
Japan.  The  difficulties  of  the  written  lancruage  have 
only  been  overcome,  as  yet,  by  six  or  eight  Europeans, 
missionaries,  or  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps. 
Tliei’e  are  two  distinct  alphabets  in  use,  the  Katahana., 
which  is  used  for  the  noble  style  and  the  impressions 
of  sacred  books,  and  the  Hirakana,  based  upon  the 
Chinese  running-hand.  Both  are  widtten  from  top  to 
bottom,  in  columns  beginning  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
page.  The  latter  alphabet  is  used  by  the  people,  and 
for  lighter  literary  works. 

“ The  student  of  Yedo  is  obliged  to  prepare  for  a la- 
borious career.  Having  acquired  the  Hirakana  in  his 
youth,  he  must  also  learn  the  Katakana  in  order  to 
master  the  more  serious  productions  of  native  literature, 
besides  acquiring  a sufficient  knowledge  of  the  Chinese 
language  to  read  at  least  the  works  of  Confucius  and 
Mencius.  Then  he  needs  to  make  himself  serviceable 
for  public  employment,  or  the  liberal  professions,  by 
the  most  scrupulous  observation  of  the  laws  of  eti- 
quette and  society.  The  official  style  of  the  Japanese 
IS  sprinkled  with  particles  and  ceremonial  phrases, 
which  must  never  be  omitted,  or  placed  otherwise  than 
according  to  the  prescribed  rules.  Even  the  character 
of  the  manuscript  differs,  when  an  inferior  addresses  a 
superior,  or  the  reverse. 

“ Miako  was  formerly  the  only  cradle  of  literature 
in  Japan.  At  present  the  old  pontifical  city  preserves 
its  specialty  of  albums  for  miniatures,  almanacs  of  the 
Mikado,  religious  works,  romances,  and  poems  on  vel- 
vet paper  dusted  with  gold.  But  the  presses  of  Yedo 
exceed  in  the  number,  the  variety,  the  popularity,  and 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  THE  JAPANESE.  173 


the  immense  sale  of  their  publications.  The  new  liter- 
ary works  of  the  capital  are  due  chiefly  to  Professors 
of  the  University  or  the  advanced  students  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Interpreters.  Nearly  all  of  them  have  a didac- 
tic character,  a practical  tendency,  or  some  useful  pur- 
pose. There  is  one  which  might  be  called  a scientific 
annual,  a review  of  inventions  and  discoveries,  statis- 
tics of  tlie  countries  of  Europe  and  America,  a man- 
ual of  Modern  History,  another  of  Geography,  and 
treatises  on  scientific,  medical,  ttaval,  mechanical,  and 
military  subjects.  The  ancient  Encyclopaedias,  which 
comprise  more  than  two  hundred  volumes,  are  now  re- 
placed by  a ‘ Lexicon  of  Conversation,’  which  appears 
annually  in  a single  volume,  illustrated  with  wood 
engravings.  The  chapters  devoted  to  foreign  nations 
are  very  destitute  of  critical  appreciation  : for  instance, 
it  is  simply  said  of  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese,  that 
they  have  a very  bad  religion. 

“ As  to  the  purely  literary  productions  of  the  Japan- 
ese authors,  we  possess  very  little,  and  the  selections 
made  by  the  translators  have  not  often  been  fortunate. 
JMore  thorough  research  will  doubtless  lead  to  better 
results,  but  they  will  not  be  truly  fruitful  until  after  we 
hav'e  become  familiar  with  the  private  life  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  the  latter  have  furnished  us  with  topics  of 
their  plays,  legends,  stories,  and  songs.  They  all  have 
the  passion  of  children  for  hearing  the  latter.  As  soon 
as  the  labors  of  the  workmen  ami  the  currents  of  trans- 
portation have  ceased,  crowds  of  persons  of  both  sexes 
may  be  seen,  ranged  in  a semicircle  around  some  pro- 
fessional declaimer,  who  squats  upon  some  bench  be- 
side a wall.  His  recitations  are  given  with  consider- 

O 


174 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


able  em])liasis,  but  a limited  use  of  mimicry.  He  in- 
terrupts them  now  and  then,  to  drink  a cup  of  tea  or 
take  a few  whiffs  from  his  pipe,  the  auditors,  mean- 
while,  also  smoking  and  exchanging  remarks  upon  the 
theme  of  his  story. 

“ Metrical  romances  and  legendary  songs  are  left  to 
tilt  women,  who  gain  their  bread  as  singers  and  musi- 
cians. They  form  a very  numerous  class ; but  only 
the  inferior  artists  lead  an  entirely  nomadic  life.  We 
generally  meet  them,  very  respectably  dressed,  under 
the  verandas  of  the  tea-houses,  or  in  a sort  of  portable 
booth.  In  the  more  frequented  gardens,  there  are 
pavilions  which  seem  to  be  specially  constructed  for 
their  use,  often  actual  bowers  of  foliage  and  flowers, 
formed  by  the  magnificent  trees  which  abound  in 
Japan,  camelias  and  magnolias,  paulownias  and  wis- 
terias. 

“ The  most  distinguished  singers  only  appear  in  com- 
pany with  three  or  four  musicians,  and  do  not  them- 
selves perform  on  any  instrument.  The  orchestra 
Avhich  accompanies  the  pieces  they  offer,  whether  reci- 
tations or  songs,  consists  of  one  or  two  samsins,  or 
guitai's,  a species  of  violoncello,  played  with  or  without 
a bow,  and  a dulcimer  with  nine  strings. 

“ One  evening  when  we  had  attended  a concert  of 
musicians,  I said  to  our  yakounins,  on  the  way  home, 
that  I recrretted  not  beino-  able  to  understand  the  words 
of  their  national  ballads.  They  assured  me,  smilinor 
and  shrugging  their  shoulders,  that  I really  lost  nothing. 
One  of  them,  nevertheless,  politely  added  that  collec- 
tions of  the  songs  and  legends  chanted  at  the  tea- 
houses could  be  obtained  at  the  bookstores  in  the  city. 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  THE  JAPANESE.  175 


[ commissioned  a courtier  to  buy  me  what  he  could 
find,  and  I had  reason  to  believe  that  he  faithfully  ex- 
ecuted mv  orders,  for  he  brought  me  a whole  library 
of  stories,  anecdotes,  and  ballads.  jNIost  of  them  being 
illustrated,  it  was  not  difficult  for  me  to  recognize  tlie 
most  popular  sulyects. 

“They  were  priticipallv  heroic  exploits,  of  the  most 
astonishing  aiid  impossible  character.  But  it  would  be 
difficult  to  give  an  idea  of  the  more  fanbistic  legends. 
The  merit  of  the  latter,  which  are  expressed  in  very 
brief  poems,  seems  to  consist  in  the  choice  of  expres- 
sions, in  the  structure  of  the  verse,  — in  a word,  in 
absti’act  elegance  of  style,  for  the  translation  very  often 
gives  something  totally  trivial,  with  no  significance 
Avhatever. 

“■  For  example,  what  can  be  the  point  of  the  follow- 
ing? ‘ The  soul  of  a very  thievish  weasel  was  hidden  in 
the  kettle  of  an  old  priest.  The  latter  saw  it  issue 
therefrom,  one  day,  when  he  had  exposed  the  kettle  to 
a hotter  fire  than  usual.’  This  is  all  ! and  this  stuff  is 
the  subject  of  one  of  the  favorite  pictures  of  the  people. 

“ The  worship  of  trees,  which  existed  among  all  the 
people  of  antiquity,  is  rendered  by  the  Japanese  to 
those  which  are  very  old.  When  the  lord  of  Yamato 
wished  to  make  a complete  set  of  furniture  from  the 
trunk  of  the  oldest  cedar  of  his  park,  the  axe  of  the 
woodman  bounded  back  from  the  bark,  and  drops  of 
blood  followed  the  blow.  The  legend  says  that  ancient 
trees  have  souls,  like  men,  on  account  of  their  great 
age.  They  also  show  themselves  sensible  of  the  mis- 
fortunes of  the  fugitives  who  seek  their  shelter.  They 
have  more  than  once  saved  behind  the  screen  of  their 


176 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


brantl»is  or  in  the  cavernous  hollow  of  their  trunks,  an 
unfortunate  warrior,  who  would  otherwise  have  fallen 
into  the  nands  of  his  enemies. 

“ Animals,  also,  which  attain  a great  age,  finally  re- 
ceive souls  like  trees  or  human  beincs,  and  sometimes 
posseos  supernatural  powers.  The  polecat,  when  it  is 
old,  summons  from  the  tops  of  the  mountains  the  wind 
and  the  clouds ; hail  and  rain  obey  it.  It  rides  forth 
on  the  wings  of  the  hurricane.  The  traveller,  sur- 
prised on  his  way,  battles  with  the  tempest,  but  his  face 
is  stung  as  if  by  the  cut  of  a knife,  from  the  claws 
of  the  polecat  as  it  passes  by.  Old  frogs,  squatted 
around  the  edges  of  a pond,  cause  a thick  mist  to  de- 
scend on  the  eyes  of  the  belated  countryman.  The 
silver  pheasant  makes  a mirror  of  his  plumage,  and  is 
invulnerable  to  the  arrows  of  the  hunter.  Old  wolves 
have  the  power  of  metamorphosis.  When  travellers 
believe  that  they  are  pursuing  their  journey  in  safety, 
they  meet  in  the  evening,  at  the  edge  of  a wood,  a 
beautiful  girl,  carrying  in  her  hand  a lantern  painted 
with  bouquets  of  roses.  But  those  who  follow  her  are 
led  directly  into  the  jaws  of  a voracious  wolf. 

“ In  Japanese  literature,  there  is  a great  number  of 
moral  tales,  conceived  in  the  same  spirit  as  the  ‘ Col- 
lection of  Virtuous  Actions,’  of  the  school  of  Confu- 
cius. Their  authors  are  generally  men  of  letters,  from 
the  University  of  Yedo,  school-masters,  or  writers  em- 
ployed by  the  booksellers,  while  the  heroic  and  fiintastic 
legends  are  the  combined  result  of  popular  tradition 
and  the  imagination  of  the  old  bonzes  who  have  re- 
mained faithful  to  the  spirit  of  the  national  poetry.  If 
some  of  the  moral  tales  rival  the  popularity  of  the  old 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  THE  JAPANESE.  177 


legends,  it  is  owing  chiefly  to  tlie  booksellers  of  Yedo, 
wlio  either  produce  good  and  cheap  editions  of  the 
former,  or  employ  artists  of  talent  and  popularity  to 
illustrate  them. 

“Our  cosmopolitan  age,  so  eager  for  new  commercial 
outlets,  will  also  acquire  new  sources  of  intellectual 
interest.  Our  European  literature  will  lose  nothing  by 
issuing  from  its  somewhat  restricted  horizon.  Already 
the  contemporary  poetry  of  Germany  has  been  en- 
riched with  many  a jewel  drawn  from  the  inexhaustible 
stores  of  Persia  and  India  ; but  the  extreme  Orient  is 
still  an  untouched  mine.  From  the  little  that  has  been 
given  to  the  world,  I take  the  following  Japanese  story, 
which  is  quoted  by  a Dutch  author,  Dekker,  in  his 
‘ Max  Havelaar  ’ ; — 

“ ‘ THE  STONE-CUTl'ER. 

“‘Once  upon  a time  there  was  in  Japan  a poor 
stone-cutter,  a simple  workman  in  the  quarries.  His 
life  was  rude,  he  worked  much,  gained  little,  and  was 
not  at  all  contented  with  his  fate. 

“ ‘ “ O,  if  I could  only  be  rich  enough  to  rest,  to  sleep 
on  thick  matting,  wrapped  in  a kirimon  of  soft  silk ! ” 
Such  was  the  sigh  which  he  breathed  to  heaven.  An 
angel  intercepted  it. 

“ ‘ “ It  shall  be  accordino-  to  thv  desire,”  said  the 
angel  to  him.  And  he  at  once  became  rich,  and  he 
rested,  slept  ui)on  thick  matting  and  wrapped  himself 
in  a kirimon  of  soft  silk. 

“ ‘ It  happened  that  the  Emperor  passed  by.  He  was 
preceded  by  heralds  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  followed 
by  a brilliant  escort  of  cavaliers,  and  surrounded  by 
12 


178 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


persons  wlio  held  over  his  head  an  immense  parasol 
resplendent  with  gold. 

“ ‘ “ Wliat  good  does  it  do  me  to  be  rich  ? ” mur- 
mured the  man,  “ as  long  as  I have  not  the  right  to 
go  out  with  an  escort,  and  my  head  protected  by  a 
golden  parasol  ? Why  am  I not  the  Emperor?  ” 

“ ‘ “ Thou  shalt  be,”  said  the  angel. 

“ ‘ And,  indeed,  he  became  the  Emperor.  He  had 
an  escort  of  cavaliers  before  and  behind  him,  and  peo- 
ple who  held  above  his  head  an  immense  parasol 
resplendent  with  gold. 

“ ‘ However,  the  sun,  with  his  ardent  beams,  dried 
up  the  country,  and  the  dusty  road,  quivering  with 
his  brightness,  fatigued  the  eves. 

“ ‘ “ It  is  a great  advantage  to  be  Emperor,”  cried 
the  man,  “ when  the  heat  of  the  day  exhausts  you,  and 
the  sun  never  ceases  to  make  you  feel  his  power  ! But 
if  one  could  be  the  sun ! ” 

“ ‘ “ Behold  ! Are  you  satisfied  ? ” the  angel  asked. 
For  he  had  become  the  sun,  and  he  darted  his  beams 
up  and  down,  right  and  left,  and  all  around  him.  And 
he  scorched  the  herbage  of  the  earth  and  the  face  of 
the  princes  upon  the  earth. 

“ ‘ But  now  a cloud  thrust  itself  between  the  earth 
and  him ; it  held  back  the  rays  of  the  sun  and  pre- 
vented them  from  falling  upon  the  earth’s  surface. 

“ ‘ “ Thei-e  is  strength,”  cried  the  sun,  — “a  cloud 
capable  of  resisting  my  power.  It  would  be  better  if 
I were  a cloud.” 

“ ‘ “ Very  well,”  said  the  angel. 

“ ‘ And  the  transformation  was  at  once  accomplished. 
The  new  cloud  placed  itself  haughtilv  between  the  sun 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  THE  JAPANESE.  179 


and  the  earth,  and  so  thorouglily  intercepted  the  rays 
of  tlie  sun  that  it  soon  saw  the  earth  covered  witli  its 
shadow.  Then  it  caused  big  drops  of  rain,  and  ]>our- 
ing  sliowers  and  water-spouts  to  fall  on  the  lands,  so 
that  tl’.e  torrents  burst  their  bounds  and  the  rivers 
spread  over  and  devastated  the  fields. 

“ ‘ Nothing  resisted  the  force  of  the  inundation  : only 
a rock  defied  it,  perfectly  motionless.  In  vain  the  bel- 
lowing waters  beat  it  in  their  fury,  the  rock  yielded 
not,  but  the  foaming  waves  died  at  its  foot. 

“ ‘ rock,  then,  is  my  superior,”  said  the  cloud ; 
“ I would  rather  be  in  its  j)lace.” 

“ ‘ “ You  shall  be,”  said  the  angel. 

“ ‘ And  he  was  transformed  into  a steep,  unshaken 
rock,  insensible  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  indifferent  to 
the  torrents  of  rain  and  the  shock  of  the  tumultuous 
waves. 

‘ Nevertheless,  he  distinguished  at  his  feet  a man 
of  poor  appearance,  hardly  clothed,  but  armed  with  a 
chisel  and  a hammer ; and  the  man,  with  the  help  of 
these  Instruments,  struck  off  pieces  of  the  rock  which 
he  dressed  into  stones  proper  for  cutting. 

“ ‘ “ What  is  that  ? ” cried  the  rock  : “ has  a man 
the  power  of  rending  pieces  of  stone  from  my  breast  ? 
Shall  I be  weaker  than  he  ? Then  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  that  I should  be  that  man  ! ” 

“ ‘ “ Have  your  will ! ” said  the  angel ; and  he  be- 
came again  what  he  had  been,  — a poor  stone-cutter,  a 
simple  workman  in  the  quarries.  His  life  was  rude,  he 
worked  much  and  gained  little,  but  he  wis  contented 
with  his  lot.’  ” 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


RECREATIONS  AND  DOMESTIC  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE. 

‘‘  npHE  races  who  possess  tlie  Chinese  civilization 

-L  liave  nothino;  similar  to  the  beneficent  Semitic 
institution  of  a day  of  rest,  regulaidy  recurring  after  a 
series  of  days  of  labor.  They  have  monthly  festivals, 
from  which,  however,  the  laboring  classes  derive  but 
little  benefit,  and  a whole  week  at  the  beginnino-of  the 
year,  during  which  all  work  is  suspended,  and  the  peo- 
ple of  both  city  and  country  give  themselves  up  to 
such  recreations  as  they  can  afford. 

“ The  citizens  of  Yedo,  the  artisans,  the  Japanese 
merchants  and  manufacturers,  lived  under  economical 
conditions  of  the  most  exceptional  character,  until  the 
arrival  of  Europeans.  Only  laboring  for  the  internal 
consumption  of  a country  highly  favored  by  nature, 
sufficiently  large  and  cultivated  to  supply  all  their 
needs,  they  enjoyed  for  centuries  the  charms  of  a life 
at  once  simple  and  easy.  This  state  of  things  is  pass- 
ing away.  I have  seen  the  closing  days  of  this  age  of 
innocence,  in  which,  with  the  exception  of  some  chief 
merchants,  who  seem  to  have  been  veritably  pursued 
bv  a kindly  fortune,  people  only  worked  enough  to  live, 
and  only  lived  for  the  sake  of  enjoying  life.  Even 
labor  might  be  classed  in  the  category  of  enjoyments , 
for  the  workman  grew  enthusiastic  over  his  work,  and 


RECREATIONS  AND  DOMESTIC  CUSTOMS.  181 


instead  of  pdnfully  counting  the  hours,  days,  and  weeks 
devoted  to  it,  he  tore  himself  from  it  with  reluctance 
when  he  had  attained,  not  wealth,  but  a satisfactory 
degree  of  artistic  skill.  When  surprised  by  fatigue, 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  restinfj  at  his  ease,  either  alone 
in  his  own  habitation,  or  in  some  j)lace  of  public  recrea- 
tion in  the  company  of  his  friends. 

“ There  are  few  Japanese  dwellings  of  the  middle 
class  which  have  not  their  little  private  gardens,  quiet 
retreats  for  sleep,  for  reading,  fishing  in  the  tanks,  or 
indulging  in  libations  of  tea  and  saki.  The  chains  of 
hills  which  traverse  the  quarters  to  the  south  and  \vest 
of  the  Castle  are  remarkably  rich  in  rocks,  little  glens, 
grottoes,  springs,  and  ponds,  which  the  small  proprie- 
tors combine  in  the  most  ingenious  manner,  so  as  to 
give  the  features  of  a varied  landscape  in  a limited 
space.  When  there  is  an  entrance  from  the  garden 
upon  the  street,  a rustic  bridge  is  thrown  over  the  canal 
before  the  portal,  which  is  carefully  concealed  under 
spreading  trees  or  thick  shrubbery.  We  have  hardly 
crossed  the  threshold,  when  we  find  ourselves  appar- 
ently in  a wild  forest,  far  from  all  habitation.  Masses 
of  rocks,  carelessly  disposed  in  the  manner  of  a stair- 
case, invite  us  to  ascend,  and  from  the  summit  a charm- 
ing view  is  suddenly  spread  out  below.  An  amphi- 
theatre of  leaves  and  flowers  incloses  a picturesque 
pond  of  w'ater,  bordered  with  lotus,  iris,  and  water- 
lilies  ; a light  wooden  bridge  is  throw'n  across  it  ; the 
path  which  descends  to  the  latter  passes  by  long  wind- 
ings through  clumps  of  bamboos,  azaleas,  dwarf  palms, 
and  camelias,  then  by  groves  of  small  pines  and  slopes 
of  tarf  or  flowers. 


182 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ In  tlieir  fondness  for  harmonious  effects,  for  quiet 
enjo}unent  and  reverie  bordering  on  abstraction,  the 
Japanese  show  their  tendency  toward  that  condition  of 
physical  indifference  and  ideal  annihilation  which  is 
inculcated  by  Buddhism.  Yet  they  do  not  consciously 
practice  it  as  a system,  and  many  of  their  hygienic  cus- 
toms seem  to  conflict  with  it.  Every  Japanese,  of 
whatever  age,  washes  regularly  in  the  morning,  and 
takes  a bath  heated  to  a temperature  of  about  120“ 
during  the  day.  They  remain  from  fifteen  to  thirty 
minutes  in  the  water,  sometimes  immersed  to  the 
shoulders,  sometimes  only  to  the  waist,  taking  the 
greatest  rare  to  prevent  their  heads  from  getting  wet. 
It  is  therefore  no  wonder  that  congestion  of  the  brain 
is  frequent. 

“ A custom  so  universal  soon  acquires  a conventiona. 
character,  and  thus  the  exposure  of  the  bath  is  tacith 
considered  as  something  disconnected  with  public  mor- 
als, like  eating  or  sleeping.  Each  wealthy  family,  it  is 
true,  has  its  own  bath-chamber,  which  is  used  either 
successively  by  the  members  of  the  household,  or  at 
the  same  time  ; but  the  greater  part  of  the  population 
use  the  public  bathing  establishments  on  account  of 
their  cheapness.  The  latter  usually  contain  two  large 
reservoirs,  divided  by  a low  partition,  the  women  and 
children  occupying  one  and  the  men  the  other  ; but  it 
is  also  considered  quite  respectable  to  use  them  in  com- 
mon. It  is  also  held  to  be  proper  for  the  bather  to  step 
into  the  street  to  cool  himself,  or  even  to  walk  home 
before  dressing.  It  would  be  very  unjust  to  judge  this 
custom  from  the  European  point  of  view,  and  neces- 
sarily associate  it  with  a low  condition  of  morals  among 
the  Japanese. 


CITIZKN  OF  YEDO.  WINTER  COSTUME. 


RECREATIONS  AND  DOMES  ilC  CUSTOMS.  183 


“ The  kneading  of  tlie  muscles  of  the  body,  as  a cure 
for  various  maladies,  is  much  practiced  in  Japan,  but 
neither  by  the  regular  physicians  nor  those  whose  bus- 
iness is  acupuncture  or  the  apj)lication  of  the  moxa. 
The  kueaders  are  always  chosen  from  among  the 
blind,  who  form  a errand  brotherhood  throughout  the 
empire. 

“ It  is  very  difficult  for  the  stranger  in  Japan  to  share 
to  any  extent  in  the  domestic  life  of  the  people,  and 
hence  almost  impossible  to  witness  their  family  festivals 
and  ceremonies.  In  all  the  countries  of  the  extreme 
East,  the  marriage  of  a girl  is  characterized  only  by 
the  festivities  which  are  held  in  the  house  of  the  bride- 
groom. But  while  the  Chinaman  is  proud  to  invite 
foreign  guests  to  the  wedding  of  his  daughter,  in  order 
to  impress  the  former  with  the  display,  tlie  Japanese, 
on  the  contrary,  surrounds  the  ceremonies  of  the  occa 
sion  with  the  most  discreet  reserve.  He  considers  it 
too  serious  to  be  witnessed  by  any  other  than  tlie  near- 
est relations  and  friends  of  the  two  parties. 

“ Most  of  the  Japanese  marriages  are  the  result  of  a 
family  arrangement,  prepared  a long  time  in  advance, 
and  usually  characterized  by  that  practical  good  sense 
which  is  one  of  the  national  traits.  The  bride  has  no 
dowTV.  but  she  receives  a very  rich  and  complete 
trousseau.  But  it  is  necessary  that  she  should  have  a 
spotless  reputation,  a gentle  and  amiable  character,  a 
proper  education,  and  skill  to  conduct  a household. 
Pecuniary  considerations  are  of  secondary  importance, 
and  they  rarely  take  the  form  of  money.  When  a 
fatlier,  who  has  no  male  child,  giv'es  his  only  or  eldest 
daughter  in  marriage,  her  husband  is  called  the  adopted 


184 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


son  of  the  family,  takes  the  same  name,  and  inheriti 
the  trade  or  business  of  liis  father-in-law. 

“ Marriage  is  preceded  by  a ceremony  of  betrothal,  at 
which  all  the  principal  members  of  the  two  families  are 
present.  It  often  happens  that  the  parties  concerned 
then  for  the  first  time  are  informed  of  the  intentions 
of  their  parents  with  regard  to  them.  From  this  time, 
they  are  allowed  every  possible  opportunity  of  seeing 
each  other,  and  ascertaining  the  wisdom  of  the  choice, 
wherein  they  were  not  consulted.  Visits,  invitations, 
presents,  preparations  for  furnishing  their  future  home, 
succeed  each  other,  and  the  betrothed  are  soon  satisfied 
with  their  approaching  destiny. 

“ The  wedding  generally  takes  place  when  the  bride- 
groom has  attained  his  twentieth  year,  and  the  bride  is 
in  her  sixteenth.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  ap- 
pointed day  the  trousseau  of  the  latter  is  carried  to  the 
bridegroom’s  house,  and  tastefully  arranged  in  the 
rooms  prepared  for  the  festival.  The  images  of  the 
gods  and  the  patron  saints  of  the  two  families  are  also 
suspended  there,  before  a domestic  altar  adoined  with 
flowers  and  heaped  with  offerings.  Lacquered  tables 
support  dwarf  cedars  and  figures  representing  the  Jap- 
anese Adam  and  Eve,  accompanied  by  their  venerable 
attributes,  the  centenary  crane  and  tortoise.  Finally, 
to  complete  the  tableau  by  a lesson  of  morals  and  pa- 
triotism, there  are  always  to  be  found  among  the  pres- 
ents a few  packages  of  edible  sea-weed,  mussels,  and 
dried  fish,  which  suggest  to  the  young  couple  the  prim- 
itive nourishment  and  ancient  simplicity  of  the  Japan- 
ese people. 

“ Toward  noon,  a splendid  procession  enters  the  halls 


JAPANESE  MARliUOE. 


V 


iHT  ‘*iriF.  — - .--wjf—  *-’"■ ' ^ 

jjk'*' . .- . 'j§jf  r 'VV* ' ' 

-*  ■■', ' ^'fff  V - f Si 

T.rf  - 


W ’ 


0 ..  ■ ,_•?  ■ i<< 


I’  '-  •••,'  -W  ".'»'  -*:. 

J '•  ^ . ,.  L‘  ir,  ■ «“• -•  t - “^i«l 


' ■ • ■ * 


... 


••■sr-, 


RECREATIOyS  AND  DOMESTIC  CUSTOMS.  185 


thus  prepared : the  youiif;  wife,  clotlied  and  veiled  in 
white,  advances,  escorted  by  two  bridesmaids  and  fol- 
lowed bv  a crowd  of  relations,  neighbors,  and  friends, 
in  festal  costumes  glittering  with  brocade,  scarlet,  gauze, 
and  embroidery.  The  two  bridesmaids  perform  the 
honors  of  the  house,  arrange  the  guests,  order  the 
courses  of  the  collation,  and  flutter  from  one  group  to 
another  to  see  that  all  are  served.  They  are  called  the 
male  and  female  butterfly,  which  insects  they  are  ex- 
pected to  represent  in  the  style  and  ornament  of  their 
jrarments. 

“ With  the  exception  of  certain  Buddhist  sects,  which 
admit  a nuptial  benediction  among  their  rites,  a priest 
never  takes  part  in  the  celebration  of  a Japanese  mar- 
riage. There  is  nothing  similar  to  a publication  of  the 
bans,  but  the  police  officer  who  has  given  permission 
for  a nuptial  festival  in  the  quarter  under  his  guardian- 
ship inscribes  another  couple  upon  his  list.  The  pub- 
lic knowledge  of  the  act,  therefore,  is  as  complete  as 

“ In  place  of  our  sacramental  Yes,  they  have  recourse 
to  an  expressive  symbol.  Among  the  objects  displayed 
in  the  middle  of  the  circle  of  guests,  there  is  a metal 
vase,  shaped  like  a basin,  and  furnished  with  two  spouts. 
This  utensil  is  elegantly  adorned  with  bands  of  colored 
paper.  At  a certain  signal,  one  of  the  ladies  of  honor 
fills  it  with  saki ; the  other  takes  it  by  the  handle,  lifts 
it  as  high  as  the  lips  of  the  kneeling  bride  and  bride- 
groom, and  causes  them  to  drink  from  it  alternately, 
each  from  the  spoilt  on  his  or  her  side,  until  the  liquor 
is  exhausted.  It  is  thus  that,  as  husband  and  wife, 
they  must  together  drain  the  cup  of  conjugal  life,  each 


186 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


drinking  from  one  side,  but  both  tasting  the  same  am- 
brosia  or  tlie  same  wormwood. 

The  poorer  classes  — one  may  say,  the  masses  of  the 
population  — are  generally  free  from  the  social  vires 
which  are  encouraged  among  the  higher  classes  bv  the 
license  allowed  to  them.  The  households  of  the  shop- 
keepers, artisans,  laborers,  and  cultivators  of  the  soil, 
exact  the  constant  care  and  toil  of  the  father  and 
mother,  the  union  of  their  efforts,  in  order  to  provide 
for  the  needs  of  their  families.  There  are  wedded 
couples  who  labor  and  save  heroically  for  years,  in 
order  to  pay  the  expenses  of  their  marriage  festival. 

“ There  is  one  rather  amusing  custom,  however, 
whereby  this  expense  may  be  avoided.  A couple  of 
respectable  people  have  a daughter,  who  is  acquainted 
with  a good  young  fellow  who  would  be  an  excellent 
husband  for  her,  except  that  he  lacks  the  necessary 
means  to  give  her  the  customary  wedding-presents  and 
keep  a free  table  for  a week,  for  the  two  families.  The 
parents,  coming  home  from  the  bath  one  fine  evening, 
do  not  find  their  daughter  at  home.  They  inquire  in  the 
neighborhood  ; nobody  has  seen  her,  but  all  the  neigh- 
bors offer  their  services  in  assisting  to  find  her.  The 
parents  accept  the  offer,  and  the  procession,  constantly 
increasing  in  numbers,  passes  from  street  to  street, 
until  it  reaches  the  dwelling  of  the  lover.  The  latter, 
protected  by  his  closed  screens,  in  vain  pretends  to  be 
deaf ; he  is  at  last  obliged  to  yield  to  the  demands  of 
the  crowd.  He  opens  tlie  door,  and  the  lost  daughter, 
in  tears,  throws  herself  at  the  feet  of  her  parents,  who 
threaten  her  with  their  malediction. 

“ Then,  the  tender-hearted  neighbor’s,  moved  by  the 


recreations  and  domestic  customs.  18V 


scene,  intercede  ; the  motlier  relents  ; the  father  re- 
mains liaughty  and  inexorable ; the  intercession  of  the 
neiglibors  increases  in  eloquence,  and  the  young  man 
promises  to  be  the  most  faithful  of  sons-in-law.  Finally, 
the  resistance  of  the  father  is  ovei’come  ; he  pardons 
his  daughter,  pardons  the  lover,  and  calls  the  latter  his 
son.  All  at  once,  as  if  by  magic,  cups  of  saki  circu- 
late among  the  crowd ; every  one  takes  his  or  her 
place  on  the  matting  of  the  room  ; the  two  outlaws  are 
seated  in  the  midst  of  the  circle,  drink  their  bowl  of 
saki  together,  the  marriage  is  proclaimed  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a sufficient  number  of  witnesses,  and  the  police 
officer  enters  it  upon  his  list  the  next  morning. 

“Bridal  trips  are  unknown  in  Japan.  Instead  of 
leaving  the  newly-wedded  pair  to  themselves,  every 
pretext  is  employed  to  overwhelm  them  with  visits  and 
invitations,  always  accompanied  with  feasts  and  pro- 
longed libations. 

“ On  the  thirtieth  day  after  his  birth  every  citizen  of 
Nipon  receives  his  surname,  or  rather  his  first  name, 
for  he  has  another  at  his  majority,  a third  when  he 
marries,  a fourth  if  he  assumes  any  public  function, 
a fifth  when  he  is  promoted  in  rank,  and  so  on  until 
the  last,  which  is  given  to  him  after  his  death  and  en- 
graved upon  his  tomb,  as  the  name  by  winch  he  will  be 
known  to  the  succeeding  generations.  The  ceremony 
which  corresponds  to  our  baptism  is  the  simple  pres- 
entation of  the  new-born  child  in  the  temple  of  his 
family  deity.  Except  in  certain  sects,  this  act  is  not 
accompanied  by  the  sprinkling  of  water  or  any  form  of 
purification.  The  father  gives  to  the  officiating  bonze 
a note  containing  three  names.  The  latter  copies  these 


188 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


upon  three  slips  of  paper,  which  he  shuffles  together, 
and  then,  loudly  uttering  a sacramental  invocation,  he 
casts  them  into  the  air,  and  the  first  slip  which  touches 
the  floor  of  the  sanctuary  indicates  the  one  of  the  three 
names  which  is  most  agreeable  to  the  divinity.  This 
the  bonze  writes  at  once  on  a sheet  of  holy  paper, 
which  he  gives  to  the  father  as  a talisman  for  the 
child. 

“ The  baptism  of  a child  is  always  an  occasion  of 
munificence  on  the  part  of  the  family  towards  the 
priests.  The  latter,  of  course,  enter  the  child’s  name 
on  their  books,  and  never  lose  sight  of  it  during  all  the 
changes  of  its  after  life.  The  registers  of  the  monas- 
teries  have  the  reputation  of  being  well  kept,  and  they 
are  always  open  to  the  examination  of  the  officers  of 
police.  At  the  age  of  three,  the  boy  begins  to  wear 
the  girdle,  and,  if  lie  is  noble,  at  the  age  of  seven  the 
two  swords  indicative  of  his  caste.  The  weapons,  of 
course,  are  only  provisional.  First,  when  he  is  fifteen, 
he  exchanges  them  for  the  hereditary  weapons  belong- 
ing to  his  family. 

“ Among  the  citizens,  the  three  epochs  are  the  occa- 
sion of  festivals,  which  are  oidy  less  important  than 
that  of  marriage.  On  the  very  day  when  the  boy  is 
fifteen  years  old,  he  attains  his  majority,  dresses  his 
hair  like  a mature  man,  and  takes  part  in  the  affairs  of 
his  paternal  household.  On  the  evening  before,  he  is 
still  addressed  as  a child  ; then,  suddenly,  the  manner 
of'  those  about  him  changes : the  ceremonious  forms 
of  Japanese  civility  represent  his  emancipation  to  his 
own  eyes  ; and  he  on  his  part,  endeavors  to  respond 
to  the  congratulations  of  the  others  in  such  a manner 


RECREATIOyS  AND  DOMESTIC  CUSTOMS.  189 


as  to  show  that  he  appreciates  the  responsibility  of  his 
new  position.  His  testimony,  in  fact,  is  not  confined  to 
hollow  assertions,  and  I do  not  hesitate  to  count  among 
the  most  interesting  traits  of  Japanese  society,  the  care, 
the  patience  and  seriousness  with  which  boys  of  fifteen 
abandon  the  sports  of  childhood  and  devote  themselves 
to  the  stronger  discipline  of  practical  life. 

‘‘  Apprenticeship  to  a branch  of  manual  labor  implies 
a service  of  ten  years.  During  this  time  the  master 
furnishes  food,  lodging,  and  clothing,  but  no  salary  until 
towards  the  end  of  the  term,  when  he  gives  the  appren- 
tice enough  pocket  money  for  his  tobacco.  He  is  in- 
terested in  develoj)ing  the  latter’s  skill  as  much  as  possi- 
ble, for  he  offers  his  name  to  the  guild  for  membership, 
when  he  claims  to  be  elected  a master.  The  distinc- 
tion cannot  be  conferred,  however,  until  the  workman 
is  twenty-five  years  old.  As  soon  as  it  has  been  ob- 
tained, he  is  free,  and  his  former  master  furnishes  him 
with  all  the  utensils  of  his  trade. 

“ In  all  Japanese  families,  death  is  the  occasion  of  a 
series  of  domestic  solemnities,  more  or  less  sumptuous, 
according  to  the  rank  of  the  deceased,  but  in  everv 
rase  a heavy  expense  to  the  nearest  relatives.  They 
must  first  pay  the  cost  of  the  religious  ceremonies 
which  are  performed  by  the  bonzes  ; then  the  last 
sacraments  ; the  watches  and  prayers  which  are  kept 
up  without  interruption  in  the  house  of  death  until  the 
funeral  ; the  closing  service  before  the  procession  de- 
parts ; the  funeral  mass  celebrated  at  the  temple,  and 
all  th(!  implements  connected  with  the  burning  and 
murning  of  the  body,  such  as  coffin,  drapery,  wax- 
candles,  flowers,  fuel,  urn,  tomb,  and  refreshments  fur- 


190 


TBAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


nished  to  the  priests.  Finally  the  coolies  who  wash 
the  body  and  carry  the  coffin  have  their  turn,  and  then 
the  laborers  attached  to  the  cemetery.  This  is  not  the 
end,  for  a pious  custom  imposes  upon  all  who  can  afford 
it  the  duty  of  givincr  alms  to  all  who  come  as  bessars. 
Last  of  all  when  the  procession  returns,  those  who  take 
part  in  it  think  themselves  wanting  in  proper  respect 
to  the  deceased,  unless,  before  taking  leave  of  the 
afflicted  family,  they  sit  down  to  a banquet  prepared 
for  them. 

“ The  head  of  the  corpse  is  always  shaved  and  the 
body  carefully  washed  in  warm  water  in  the  bath-room. 
When  the  attendants  have  finished  tlieir  work,  they  lift 
it  up  in  order  to  introduce  it  into  the  coffin,  which  is 
not  always  easy.  The  rich  Japanese,  who  prefer  inhu- 
mation, are  put  into  large  jars,  made  for  the  purpose 
by  the  native  potters.  It  is  said  that  a good  deal  of 
eneigy  is  necessary,  and  sometimes  an  application  of 
blows  in  order  to  force  the  body,  and  especially  the 
shoulders,  into  these  narrow  receptac-les.  The  poorer 
people  use,  instead,  a single  cask  of  pine  staves,  with 
bamboo  hoops. 

“ The  funerals  of  the  poor  are  attended  by  a very 
small  number  of  relatives  and  friends,  who,  in  confusion 
and  with  huri'ied  pace,  endeavor  to  reav  h by  sunset  the 
gloomy  valley  where  bodies  are  burned  under  the 
charge  of  some  inferior  priest  from  a neighboring  mon- 
astery. The  pariahs  of  Japanese  society,  who  are  out- 
side the  pale  of  religious  aid,  disdain  all  ceremony. 
Tliey  sirnplv  carry  the  dead  bodies  of  their  brethren  to 
some  deserted  spot,  where  they  collect  wood  and,  light- 
ing the  fire  with  their  own  hands,  reduce  the  remains 
to  ashes. 


RECREATIONS  AND  DOMESTIC  CUSTOMS.  191 


“ Finally,  still  lower  than  this  class  — that  is,  lower 
than  those  artisans  who  ])ly  unclean  trades,  such  as 
Bkinners,  tanners,  and  cun  iers,  lower  than  executioners, 
lepers,  cripples,  and  beggars — there  is  in  Japan  a class 
of  individuals  branded  with  the  basest  degree  of  legal 
infamy.  They  are  the  christans,  — the  descendants  of 
the  families  of  native  Christians,  which  were  not  entirely 
destroyed  in  the  jiersecutions  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. Their  condition,  in  fact,  is  worse  than  that  of 
the  pariahs,  who,  among  themselves,  enjoy  a species  of 
liberty.  The  law  ignores  them  so  completely  that  the 
ground  occupied  by  their  camps  of  straw  huts,  is  not 
counted  in  measurin<i  distances  alonjj  the  roads.  The 
christans,  on  the  contrary,  are  assembled  within  the 
cities,  in  a quarter  like  the  Jewish  Ghetto  of  the  I\Iid- 
dle  Ages,  or  even  a sort  of  prison,  when  there  are  few 
of  them.  The  police  watch  them  from  birth  to  death, 
taking  care  to  make  away  with  their  corpses,  no  one 
knows  how  nor  whither,  but  in  such  a way  that  the 
name  of  the  Crucified  shall  not  be  pronounced  over 
them. 

“In  a word  the  respect  for  the  dead,  or  the  sepul- 
chral worship,  which  is  apparently  one  of  the  estimable 
features  of  the  Buddhist  religion,  only  exists  among 
the  privileged  classes,  and  in  proportion  as  the  bonzes 
draw  a profit  from  it.  The  mode  of  burial,  the  form 
of  the  coffins,  and  above  all  the  practice  of  burning, 
introduced  by  the  priest  Toseo  in  the  year  TOO,  allow 
the  monasteries  to  divide  and  subdivide  the  lots  of 
ground  belonging  to  them.  A small  inclosure  suffices 
for  a family,  for  a number  of  generations.” 


CHAPTER  XX. 


SOJOURN  IN  THE  HARBOR. 

N ingenious  machination  of  tlie  Tycoon’s  Gov- 


ernors of  Foreign  Affairs  sliortened  our  first 


residence  in  Yedo,  in  a manner  whicli  was  not  very 
courteous.  The  government  had  already  hound  itself, 
in  writing,  to  conclude  a treaty  with  Switzerland  ; but 
when  I asked  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise,  the 
Japanese  ministers  ui’ged  that  imperious  circumstances 
obliged  them  to  postpone  it.  At  this  period,  it  is 
true,  the  political  consequences  of  the  establishment  of 
foi’eigners  in  Japan  excited  the  growing  hostility  of  the 
feudal  dynasties.  The  Mikado,  under  the  pressure  of 
this  hostility,  had  refused  to  sanction  the  treaties  to 
which  the  Tycoon  had  subscribed.  At  Miako,  the 
proposition  was  made  to  close  the  port  of  Yokohama, 
and  effect  the  expulsion  of  the  Europeans  from  all 
parts  of  Nipon. 

“ In  this  emergency,  the  Tycoon’s  counsellors  en- 
deavored to  give  the  foreign  legations  the  most  tranquil- 
izing  assm'ances  of  the  maintenance  of  their  relations, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  satisfy  the  Court  of  the  Mikado 
as  far  as  possible  without  coming  to  a rupture  with  the 
^Yestern  Powers.  Thus,  by  a skillfid  system  of  small 
daily  annoyances,  they  drove  the  foreign  consulates 
from  the  suburb  of  Kanagawa,  where  they  had  estab- 


THE  MIKADO  OF  JAPAN. 


SOJOURN  IN  THE  HARBOR. 


193 


lisliod  themselves,  in  accordance  with  the  treaties.  It 
was  tlien  decided  to  apply  the  same  discipline  to  the 
legations  at  Yedo.  When,  finally,  there  only  remained 
the  Legation  of  the  United  States,  devastated  by  fire, 
and  the  embassy  of  the  Swiss  Republic,  the  agents  of 
the  Castle  supposed  that  the  remainder  of  their  task 
could  be  accomplished  at  one  blow. 

“ One  eveniu2,  on  returniuir  from  a walk,  a Gov- 
rrnor  of  F oreign  Affairs  appeared  suddenly,  and  mys- 
teriously asked  to  speak  to  me  without  witnesses.  He 
informed  me  that  the  party  hostile  to  the  Tycoon  was 
in  the  ascendency  ; all  the  great  daimios  had  with- 
dravvn  to  Miahi,  and  the  Tycoon  himself  was  obliged 
to  hasten  thither.  If  we  should  remain  in  Yedo  dur- 
ing his  absence,  we  should  be  menaced  by  great 
dangers,  for  the  princes  had  left  bravos  behind  them, 
conspired  to  destroy  every  vestige  of  a foreign  lega- 
tion. The  American  Minister,  he  said,  was  to  em- 
bark that  very  night  on  a Japanese  steamer  for  Yoko- 
hama. 

“ I replied  that  I would  not  leave  without  a letter 
from  the  gov'ernment,  stating  the  circumstances  which 
compelled  it  to  remove  me  from  the  capital.  At  the 
same  time  I dispatched  a messenger,  who  brought  me 
news  that  the  members  of  the  American  Legation  had 
embarked.  I then  determined  to  join  them  and  ascer- 
tain the  cause  of  their  sudden  departure. 

“ It  was  already  night  when  we  took  the  boat ; our 
ynkounius  had  theirs,  and  followed  us  at  a short  dis- 
tance. The  sky  was  ov'ercast,  and  flocks  of  crows  cir- 
cled over  our  heads,  on  their  way  to  the  shore.  After 
an  hour  and  a half  of  navigation,  we  found  a large 

13  • 


194 


TRAVELS  ly  J XPAN. 


steamer  oeyond  the  detached  forts.  The  American 
Minister  met  me  at  tlie  top  of  the  gangway,  and  we 
CMchanged  a few  liasty  words  wliile  tlie  anchors  were 
lifted.  Suddenly  the  wheels  began  to  move,  and  my 
companions  and  myself  had  only  time  to  jump  into  our 
boat  and  get  clear  of  the  steamer.  The  chief  of  the 
escort  then  announced  to  me  that  he  had  orders  not 
to  allow  us  to  return  to  the  city  at  such  an  hour,  at  the 
same  time  indicating  a vessel  where  we  could  pass  the 
night. 

“ This  vessel  was  none  other  than  the  Imperial  yacht, 
the  famous  Emperor^  ]iresented  to  the  Tycoon  by  Lord 
Elgin,  in  the  name  of  Queen  Victoria,  ‘ with  as  much 
propriety,’  says  Mr.  Oliphant,  ‘ as  if  we  should  pre- 
sent a wife  to  the  Pope.’  It  seemed  to  us,  neverthe- 
less, that  the  beautiful  vessel  well  fulfilled  its  destiny, 
in  harboring  the  Swiss  Legation.  The  commander  re- 
ceived us  amicably,  and  opened  two  virgin  cabins,  that 
of  the  Tycoon,  with  divans  enough  to  make  four  beds, 
and  the  other  arranged  for  the  use  of  the  Tvcooness, 
with  every  little  detail  of  furniture  which  a lady  could 
desire.  But  the  next  morning  I could  better  appre- 
ciate the  contrasts  offered  by  our  floating  habitation  : 
on  one  side  the  mirrors,  gilding,  silk  and  velvet  of  the 
Imperial  cabins,  on  the  other,  a mixture  of  lazzaroni 
and  yakounins  encamped  on  the  deck,  sleeping,  smok- 
ing, drinking  tea,  grinding  rice,  or  playing  games  with 
their  fans. 

“ 1 asked  the  yakounins  to  take  me  back  to  the 
Tjoodji.  They  called  the  boats,  at  once,  and  also 
agreed  to  make  an  excursion  on  horseback  through  the 
northern  suburbs,  during  the  day.  I,  however,  re- 


SOJOURN  IN  THE  HARBOR. 


195 


mained  at  Iiome,  where  I soon  received  tlie  visit  of  a 
delegatioii  from  the  Castle.  I was  informed  that  my 
demand  gave  orreat  embarrassment  to  the  government ; 
nevertheless,  I persisted  in  repeating  it.  Towards  eve- 
ning, one  of  the  governors  brought  me  word  that  the 
request  had  been  granted,  but  1 was  expected  to  pass 
anotlier  night  in  the  liarbor. 

“ llie  evening  was  stormv,  with  a rough  sea.  Tliere 
were  two  boats,  the  first  occu])ied  exclusively  by  our 
Japanese  escort.  V/e  noticed  that  it  was  not  making 
for  the  yacht,  but  for  a large  war  steamei*,  on  the  deck 
of  which  there  were  suspicious  movements.  The  stack 
was  not  smoking,  yet  it  vvould  be  easy  to  fire  up  and 
hoist  the  anchor  during  the  night.  We  therefore  di- 
rected our  own  boat  towards  the  Imperial  yacht,  dis- 
regarding the  cries  of  the  officials,  who  ordered  us  to 
follow  them.  On  reaching  the  yacht,  we  found  the 
ladder  lifted,  and  the  vessel  silent  and  dark  from  one 
end  to  the  other.  The  younger  members  of  our  party 
climbed  to  the  deck  and  lowered  the  ladder  ; when  we 
were  all  on  board,  the  commander  appeared.  I ex- 
plained to  him  that  our  escort  had  gone  wrong,  since 
we  had  agreed  with  the  officials  to  return  to  his  vessel 
for  the  second  night.  He  at  once  had  the  cabins 
opened,  and  brought  us  lamps  and  saki.  We  thus  re- 
mained in  peaceable  possession  of  the  yacht,  the  first 
and  only  maritime  conquest  ever  made  by  Switzer- 
land ! 

“ We  remained  six  nights  on  board.  The  govern- 
ment  accepted  the  arrangements  wlrich  I proposed,  and 
provided  with  dignity  for  our  formal  departure.  Since 
they  were  no  longer^embarrassed  by  the  protection  of 


196 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  Legation,  and  considered  us  ratlier  as  hosts,  they 
allowed  us  liberty  to  dispose  of  our  days,  only  insisting 
that  we  should  not  remain  in  the  city  after  sunset. 
Except  an  attempt  to  detain  some  of  the  party  at  the 
landing-place,  nothing  occurred  to  disturb  our  final  ex- 
cursions; everywhere,  in  the  most  frequented  streets, 
as  w ithin  the  precincts  of  the  most  popular  temples,  we 
met  with  the  same  reception,  at  the  same  time  friendly 
and  curious. 

“ Our  maritime  residence  gave  us  the  opportunity 
of  getting  acquainted  with  the  fishers  of  the  bay, 
w'ho  constitute,  with  the  exception  of  the  pariahs, 
the  loAvest  class  of  the  population.  They  live  in  the 
southern  suburbs  of  the  city  and  the  Hondjo.  When 
the  tide  is  low,  many  rocks  and  piles  around  the  five 
forts  are  uncovered,  and  the  boats  which  take  occasion 
of  the  ebb  to  go  out  on  the  bay,  leave  some  of  their 
crew's  on  these  dry  spots,  — especially  young  men, 
with  all  the  implements  necessary  for  fishing.  There, 
standing  or  squatting,  w'ith  a burning  sun  above  their 
heads,  and  the  dazzling  mirror  of  the  sea  at  their  feet, 
they  stand  as  motionless  as  so  many  cranes  or  herons. 
If  we  watch  them  steadily,  we  see  them,  from  time  to 
time,  draw'  out  a fish  by  the  hook.  They  put  the  prize 
into  a long  bag  of  network,  fastened  to  their  waists, 
and  hanging  in  the  water,  so  that  the  captured  fish  ai'e 
^reserved  alive  and  fresh. 

“ The  bay  of  Yedo  is  almost  as  liv'ely  by  night  as  by 
day,  for  the  boats  of  the  fishermen  also  go  forth  to 
engage  in  fire-fishing.  Each  bark  bears  at  its  prow 
a species  of  grating  wherein  they  burn  reeds  and  tar. 
Sometimes  they  form  an  immense  semicircle,  w'hich 


^ Ti-'' 


FETE  OF  THE  SEA-OOD. 


SOJOURN  IN  THE  HARBOR. 


197 


produces  at  a distance  the  effect  of  a quay  sparkling 
with  tliousands  of  lamps. 

“ These  tribes  of  the  fishers  of  Yedo,  this  population 
so  destitute  of  the  goods  which  attach  men  to  the  soil, 
have  all  the  stronger  affection  for  the  element  which 
nourishes  them.  The  seaman  knows  no  finer  festivals 
than  those  which  are  celebrated  beside  or  in  the  sea. 
When  the  shore-dwellers  of  Siuagawa  celebrate  the 
anniversary  of  their  divinity,  Tengou,  the  winged  god, 
the  grotesque  and  jovial  messenger  of  heaven,  they  can 
imagine  no  better  way  of  demonstrating  their  respect 
for  him  than  by  carrying  him  into  the  sea.  While  the 
veterans  of  the  monastery  and  their  domestics  are  en- 
gaged in  the  annual  purification  of  the  temi)le  and  its 
furniture,  the  most  vigorous  priests  hoist  upon  their 
shoulders  tlie  litter  on  which  rests  the  throne  of  their 
divine  patron,  and,  on  reaching  the  strand,  they  take 
off  their  sacerdotal  garments,  and  breast  the  waves  in 
good  order.  The  crowds  of  fishermen  who  tumul- 
tuously follow  them  soon  surround  the  procession ; 
seizing  with  their  strong  arms  the  holv  shrine  of  the 
idol,  they  lift  it  above  the  lacquered  hats  of  the  bonzes, 
and  notwithstanding  the  real  or  simulated  efforts  of  its 
official  guardians,  who  struggle  with  the  crowd  in  the 
midst  of  the  waves,  the  throne  accomplishes  its  mari- 
time pilgrimage,  tottering,  but  still  upright,  in  the  hands 
of  the  people.  This  celebration  is  called  the  matsouri 
» f Gots-Tennoo.  It  takes  place  on  the  sixth  day  of 
the  sixth  month  (July  or  August),  and  is  continued, 
with  different  rites,  until  the  eighth  dav,  when  the 
bonzes,  in  conclusion,  distribute  among  their  flock 
branches  laden  with  fruits  half  ripe,  as  the  people  pre- 
fer them. 


198 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ It  is  a curious  fact,  and  one  which  seems  inconsistent 
with  the  affection  of  the  Japanese  for  the  sea,  and  their 
habits  of  bathing,  that  they  never  take  sea-baths.  It 
cannot  be  the  fear  of  imaginary  monsters,  for  they  are 
ready  enousli  to  enter  the  water  during  these  I’eligious 

V O O O 

processions.” 


NEW  YEAR'3  FESTIVITIES. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


JAPANESE  FESTIVALS  AND  THEATRES. 

f*'  ri'^HE  religious  festivals  of  the  temples  in  Japan 
render  to  the  government  of  the  country  a service 
•which  would  be  highly  appreciated  in  Europe  : they 
relieve  it  of  the  trouble  of  amusing  its  subjects.  The 
latter,  moreover,  supply  from  their  own  means  what- 
ever they  may  find  wanting.  There  are  five  grand  an- 
nual festivals,  the  religious  character  of  which  does  not 
in  any  wise  detract  from  the  gayety  of  the  manifesta- 
tions, for  the  old  Kami  creed  djclares  that  a joyous 
heart  is  always  pure. 

“ The  festival  of  the  first  day  of  the  first  month  is 
naturally  one  of  the  most  important.  It  is  that  of 
congratulations  and  presents,  Avhich  at  least  consist  in 
two  or  three  fans  which  the  visitor  brings  in  a lacquered 
bo.x,  bound  with  cords  of  silk.  Nevertheless,  whatever 
be  the  nature  or  the  value  of  the  present,  it  must  al- 
ways be  accomjianied  by  a paper  cone  containing  a 
piece  of  dried  fish  of  the  commonest  sort,  as  a souvenir 
of  the  frusalitv  of  the  ancestors.  The  familv  which 
receives  the  visit  furnishes  refreshments,  consisting  of 
saki,  rice  cakes,  and  mandarin  oranges. 

“ The  second,  called  the  Festival  of  the  Dolls,  takes 
place  on  the  third  day  of  the  third  month.  It  is  de- 
voted to  the  female  children.  The  mothers  adorn  the 


200 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


chamber  of  state  with  blossoming  peach-boughs,  and 
arrange  therein  an  exhibition  of  all  the  dulls  which 
their  claugliters  have  received.  They  are  pretty  figures, 
liandsomely  costumed,  and  re])resenting  the  Mihado, 
and  other  personages  of  tlie  Imperial  Court.  A coni- 
j)lete  banquet  is  prejiared  for  them,  by  the  bauds  of 
the  children  wlien  they  are  old  enough,  and  tlie  friends 
of  the  family  help  to  consume  it  in  the  evening. 

“ The  fifdi  day  of  the  fifth  month  is  the  Festiv'al  rd" 
tne  Banners,  celebrated  in  honor  of  the  boys.  Bet 
the  reader  imagine  a great  city  like  Yedo,  jdanted  with 
bamboo  staffs,  surmounted  with  plumes  or  balls  of 
gilded  paper  and  supporting  long  paper  pennons  of 
every  color,  floating  in  the  wind;  others  with  fishes  of 
woven  straw  or  varnished  paper,  but  the  greater  part 
with  lofty  banners  blazoned  with  coats-of-arms,  family 
names,  patriotic  sentences,  or  heroic  figures.  It  is  a 
charming  spectacle,  especially  when  seen  from  a gallery 
overlooking  one  of  the  principal  streets.  Crowds  of 
young  boys  in  gala  dresses  circulate  through  the  pub- 
lic ways,  some  having  two  little  sabres  like  those  of  the 
yakounins  in  their  belts,  others  bearing  on  their  shoul- 
ders enormous  swords  of  wood,  painted  in  various 
colors  and  tied  with  paper  ribbons,  and  still  others  car- 
rying miniature  banners. 

“ The  Feast  of  Lanterns  is  the  fourth,  and  occurs  on 
the  seventh  day  of  the  seventh  month.  At  Yedo,  the 
little  girls  go  in  crowds  through  the  illuminated  street.3 
of  the  city,  and  sing  with  all  their  might  while  swing- 
ing with  the  right  hand  a paper  lantern  as  large  as 
they  can  manage.  In  some  of  the  southern  cities,  the 
people  visit  the  sepulchral  hills,  and  pass  tlu  night 
amonfT  the  tombs. 

O 


pHi.f 

^t|  i I'jji' ' J 

JAPANESE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  BANNERS 


JAPANESE  FESTIVALS  AND  THEATRES.  201 


“ The  fifth  festival  takes  place  on  the  ninth  day  of 
the  ninth  month,  and  is  called  the  Feast  of  Chrysan- 
themums. At  all  the  family  repasts  during  the  day, 
the  leaves  of  chrysanthemum  flowers  are  scattered  over 
the  cups  of  tea  and  saki.  It  is  believed  that  the  liba- 
tions prepared  in  this  manner  have  the  power  of  pro- 
lonmnjr  life.  Tlie  citizen  of  Yedo  would  consider  that 
he  was  wanting  in  his  duty  as  a good  husband  and 
fiither  if  he  should  partake  sparingly  of  this  specific. 

“ Masquerades  are  also  very  common,  and  one  sees 
many  varieties  of  dancing.  The  ‘ rice  dance  ’ alone 
contains  thirty  different  figures;  it  is  performed  only 
by  men  whose  costume  is  a girdle  of  rice  straw,  a 
round  hat  of  the  same,  and  a little  floating  mantle,  the 
broad  sleeves  of  which  resemble  the  wings  of  a moth. 

“ The  other  festivals,  and  the  religious  or  symbolical 
processions,  occur  very  frequently,  and  jjresent  the 
greatest  diversity  in  their  character.  There  is  the  fes- 
tival of  the  Lion  of  Corea,  of  the  Foxes,  of  the  patron 
of  the  sacred  daiices,  and  many  others.  The  proces- 
sion of  the  White  Elephant  has  an  enormous  paste- 
board representation  of  the  animal,  marching  on  the 
feet  of  men  inclosed  in  each  one  of  the  four  legs.  He 
is  preceded  by  Tartar  music,  wherein  the  sound  of 
flutes  and  trumpets  is  mixed  with  the  noise  of  drums, 
cymbals,  gongs,  and  tambourines.  The  men  who  take 
part  in  this  festival  wear  beards,  pointed  hats,  boots,  a 
long  robe  bound  by  a girdle,  and  some  of  them  carry 
waving  banners  covered  with  figures  of  dragons. 

“ In  order  to  shorten  the  time  which  intervenes  be- 
tween the  festivals,  the  good  people  of  Yedo  have  made 
Ibr  themselves  a thousand  other  resources  for  amuse- 


202 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


merit  and  recreation.  Tliere  are  botli  temporary  and 
permanent  occasions ; by  night  and  by  day ; on  the 
highways,  in  the  temples  and  their  precincts,  in  special 
buildings,  circuses,  or  tlieatres.  The  means  of  all 
classes  are  consulted  ; even  the  Sibaia,  which  corre- 
sponds to  our  Grand  Opera,  is  accessible  to  the  common 
people,  3'et  it  has  never  received  or  solicited  the  least 
subsidy  from  the  city  or  national  government. 

“ The  character  of  the  popular  diversions  varies 
according  to  the  quarter  of  the  city,  as  in  other  great 
capitals.  The  aristocracy  have  their  race-courses, 
their  pugilistic  exhibitions,  and  their  classic  drama,  the 
citizens  their  genteel  comedy,  and  the  common  people 
their  jugglers  and  mountebanks,  while  there  are  per- 
manent fairs  where  all  these  forms  of  amusement  may 
be  enjoyed  at  any  time.  There  are  circuses,  where  the 
riders  perform  the  usual  feats  upon  trained  horses,  but 
they  are  stationary,  like  the  theatres. 

“ The  fair-ground  of  Yamasta  may  be  called  the 
Champs  Elys^es  of  Yedo.  Porters  sprinkle  with  water 
the  macadamized  avenues ; the  double  rows  of  trees 
protect  with  their  shade  the  troo])s  of  merry  children, 
some  running  after  a show’man  with  a dancing  monkey, 
others  ci'owding  around  the  sellers  of  jumping-jacks  and 
artificial  butterflies.  On  the  broad  sidewalks,  shaded 
with  maple-trees,  which  run  parallel  with  the  princi- 
pal highway,  little  dealers,  squatted  in  rows,  each  on 
his  straw  mat,  exalt  their  several  wares.  It  is  a pic- 
turesque collection  of  signs  with  colored  figures  and 
great  Chiiiese  characters.  The  merchant  who  sells 
death  to  rats  has  an  assortment  of  his  victims  around 
him,  their  swollen  corpses  demonstrating  the  powerful 


cr’ii’vwu  nKirm?!^  TitF  flllRTAlN. 


JAPANESE  FESTIVALS  AND  TUEATRES.  203 


effects  of  the  drug  to  the  spectators.  His  neighbor  ex- 
hibits the  head  and  paws  of  a bear  to  prove  tliat  it  is 
genuine  bear’s-grease  which  he  sells.  Then  come  the 
inysterious  little  books  of  a fortune-teller : a little 
horned  imp  answers  the  conjurer’s  questions  by  ‘.trik- 
ing  a plate  with  a hammer. 

“The  nearer  we  approach  the  great  square  of  Ya- 
niasta,  the  more  the  crowd  increases.  The  sidewalks 
are  invaded  by  portable  booths,  made  of  bamboo  and 
matting.  Here  and  there,  nevertheless,  some  bolder 
adventurers  succeed  in  keeping  tbe  public  at  a distance. 
Sucb,  for  instance,  are  the  popular  astronomer,  and  the 
dealer  in  the  latest  news.  The  first  exhibits  the  best 
planetary  system  to  a circle  of  auditors,  and  adds  to 
the  charm  of  his  demonstration  the  mysterious  attrac- 
tion of  a long  opera-glass,  by  means  of  which  each  one 
may  satisfy  himself  in  regard  to  the  sun,  moon,  and 
stars.  The  second,  an  old  fellow  with  a nasal  voice, 
mechanically  repeats  the  history  of  the  last  execution, 
and  distributes  leaf  by  leaf,  to  the  passers  who  offer 
him  money,  the  printed  sheets  which  he  carries  over 
his  left  arm.  Sometimes  these  productions  of  the  Yedo 
press  add  to  the  city  news  a brief  account,  illustrated 
with  wood-cuts,  of  recent  events  throughout  the  world. 

“ Although  there  are  no  politics  as  yet,  even  the 
national  histoiy  not  yet  having  been  compiled  from  the 
collections  of  annals,  these  printed  sheets  nevertheless 
contain  the  germ  of  publicity  and  political  discussion. 
I made  a collection  of  pamphlets  which  treated  of  the 
American  war,  of  President  Lincoln,  of  the  fijjht  be- 
tween  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrimac ; and  such  pub- 
lications must  in  time  give  a kind  of  political  education 


204 


TRAVELS  ly  JAPAN. 


to  the  Japanese  people.  Wlio  can  say,  in  fact,  that  the 
change  has  not  already  commenced?  In  the  theatres 
of  Yedo  the  new  pieces  frequently  have  a vein  of  jjolit- 
ical  or  religious  satire  more  or  less  concealed  : even  the 
costumes  of  the  ancient  Mikados  are  introduced  into 
burlesque  dances. 

“ The  fair-ground  of  Yamasta  contains  from  twenty 
to  thirty  exhibitions  of  jugglers,  mountebanks,  reciters 
of  legends,  domestic  comedies  or  historic  masquerades. 
There  are  also  two  circuses,  and  at  the  entrances  of  the 
public  gardens,  or  along  the  four  sides  of  the  open  space, 
a multitude  of  little  restaurants,  booths  for  singing  and 
dancing,  and  other  similar  diversions.  The  construc- 
tions are  all  of  bamboo,  boards,  matting,  and  prepared 
])aper  ; yet  there  is  such  a luxury  of  signs,  such  a dis- 
])lay  of  brilliant  colors,  so  many  banners  and  pictures, 
that  the  general  effect  is  in  the  highest  degree  gay  and 
attractive. 

“ The  grand  theatre  of  Japan,  the  Sibaia,  has  no 
historic  character  ; the  only  court  theatre  is  that  of 
the  Mikado.  The  residents  of  the  Castle  in  Yedo 
affect  to  despise  scenic  representations.  The  theatre, 
therefore,  offers  a favmrable  field  for  the  encouragement 
of  Jiative  dramatic  literature  ; but  the  authors  unfortu- 
nately, have  not  yet  succeeded  in  emancipating  them- 
elves  from  the  Chinese  school  and  its  conventional 
dramatic  characters. 

“ The  Sibaia,  nevertheless,  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting curiosities.  In  China,  the  public  witnesses  the 
performance  and  criticises  the  actors;  in  Japan,  the 
public  takes  part  in  the  piece  in  concert  with  the 
actors,  exchanges  sentiments  with  them,  and  thus  acta 


JAPANK3E  FESTIVALS  AND  THEATRES.  205 


also,  as  in  some  of  the  popular  Italian  theatres.  The 
dramatic  authors,  who  write  for  these  theatres,  reside 
in  Yedo,  where  the  plays  are  first  produced,  then  re- 
peated in  the  provinces  afterwards  The  comedians 
of  the  capital  have  their  annual  holiday  season,  during 
which  they  perform  in  other  cities,  Tliey  are  com- 
posed exclusively  of  men  ; women  appear  only  in 
grand  ballets,  never  as  actresses, 

“The  announcement  of  the  performance  always 
takes  before  sunset.  A delegation  of  actors  in  ordinary 
costume  appears  on  platforms  before  the  entrance ; 
there,  fan  in  hand,  they  address  the  crowd,  explain  the 
subject  of  the  play,  and  describe  the  merits  of  the 
principal  performers.  Then  follow  jokes,  witticisms, 
merry  remarks  by  the  crowd,  mimicry,  and  a disjday 
of  the  great  art  of  maTiamncr  the  fan.  The  lanterns 
are  lighted,  and  the  whole  theatre  becomes  gradually 
illuminated,  while  the  spectators  enter  and  take  their 
seats.  There  is  always  a restaurant,  decorated  with 
equal  brilliancy,  attached  to  each  theatre. 

“ The  interior  is  of  an  oblong  form,  with  two  tiers  of 
boxes,  the  upper  one  containing  the  best  seats.  Here 
there  are  many  ladies  in  full  toilette,  that  is,  n)uffled 
up  to  the  eyes  in  crapes  and  silks  ; in  the  lower  tier 
there  are  only  gentlemen.  The  parterre  resembles  a 
chess-board.  It  is  divided  into  compartments,  each 
containing  from  eight  to  twelve  seats,  most  of  which 
are  rented  by  the  year  to  families  who  always  take 
their  children  with  them,  and  sometimes  their  visitors 
from  the  country.  There  are  no  passages,  but  all 
must  find  their  places  by  walking  along  the  tops  of  the 
divisions  between  the  compartments.  Tobacco  and  re- 


206 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


fresliments  are  serred  durino;  the  eveninff  in  the  same 

O O 

manner. 

“ Tlie  drop-ciirtaiii  always  bears  a gigantic  inscrip- 
tion in  Chinese  characters.  While  waiting  for  it  to  rise, 
the  spectators  frequently  become  impatient,  and  some- 
times an  altercation  takes  place  in  the  compartment  as- 
signed to  the  coolies,  next  to  the  stage.  Then  the 
actors  take  part  in  the  debate,  creeping  forth  under  the 
curtain,  or  thrustino;  their  heads  throuo-h  holes  in  it. 
When  order  is  reestablished  some  of  the  coolies  climb 
upon  the  stage,  and  assist  in  rolling  up  the  curtain. 

“The  performance  usually  lasts  until  one  o’clock  in 
the  morning.  It  consists  of  a comedy,  a tragedy,  an 
opera  with  ballet,  and  two  or  three  interludes  of  jug- 
glers and  gymnasts.  The  appearance  of  infernal  char- 
acters is  always  preceded  by  a flash  of  lightning.  The 
celebrated  actors  are  accompanied  by  two  domestics, 
who  carry  bamboo  sticks  with  candles  at  the  end,  by 
■which  they  illuminate  the  best  poses,  gestures,  and  ex- 
pressions of  face,  so  that  the  spectators  shall  lose 
nothing.  The  same  thing  occurs  in  the  ballets. 

“ In  the  theatre  of  Gankiro,  the  dances  are  per- 
formed by  young  girls  from  seven  to  thirteen  years  of 
age.  They  also  produce  little  operas,  fairy  extravagan- 
zas, and  ballets  with  the  most  fantastic  costumes,  such 
as  birds  and  butterflies.  These  performances  are  char- 
acterized both  by  ingenuity  and  elegance,  and  many  of 
them  would  compare  favorably  with  similar  pieces  on 
the  European  stage. 

“ The  jugglers  and  mountebanks  are  also  distin- 
guished by  the  variety  and  originality  of  their  feats 
For  instance,  they  perform  a series  of  tricks  by  means 


JAPAVK’E  THEATRE.  — SCENES  REIITND  TItE  CERTAIN 


JAPANESE  FESTIVALS  AND  THEATRES.  207 


of  an  enormously  long  flilse  nose.  One  will  lie  down 
upon  liis  back,  with  a boy  balanced  on  the  end  of  the 
nose,  the  boy  supporting  an  open  umbrella  on  the  end 
of  his  own  nose.  Another  will  hold  up  his  foot,  npor 
the  sole  of  which  a boy  plants  his  nose,  and  balances 
bimself  in  the  air.  Some  of  these  feats  seem  impos- 
sible, without  the  aid  of  some  concealed  machinery. 

“ I was  witness  to  some  astonishing  specimens  of  il- 
lusion. After  a variety  of  tricks  with  tops,  cups  of 
water,  and  paper  butterflies,  the  juggler  exhibited  to 
the  spectator  a large  open  fan  which  he  he.d  in  his 
right  hand,  tlien  threw  into  the  air,  caugbt  by  the 
handle  in  his  left  hand,  squatted  down,  fani.ed  himself, 
and  then,  turning  his  head  in  profile,  gavf  a long  sigh, 
during  which  the  image  of  a galloping  horse  issued 
from  his  mouth.  Still  fanning  himself,  ue  shook  from 
his  right  sleeve  an  army  of  little  men,  who  presently, 
bowing  and  dancing,  vanished  from  s.glit.  Then  he 
bowed,  closed  the  fan  and  held  it  in  his  two  hands, 
during  which  time  his  own  head  disappeared,  then  be 
came  visible,  but  of  colossal  size,  and  finally  reappeared 
in  its  natural  dimensions,  but  multiplied  four  or  five 
times.  They  set  a jar  before  him,  and  in  a short  time 
he  issued  from  the  neck,  rose  slowly  into  the  air,  and 
vanished  in  clouds  along  the  ceiling. 

“ At  the  fair  of  Asaksa,  in  addition  to  the  perform- 
ances of  jugglers  of  all  kinds,  there  are  collections  of 
animals  which  have  been  taught  to  perform  tricks  — 
bears  of  Yeso,  spaniels  Avhich  are  valuable  in  propor- 
tion to  their  ugliness,  educated  monkeys  and  goats. 
Birds  and  fish  are  also  displayed  in  great  quantities. 
But  the  most  astonishing  patience  is  manifested  by  an 


208 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


old  Corean  boatman,  who  has  trained  a dozen  tortoises, 
large  and  small,  employing  no  other  means  to  direct 
them  than  his  songs  and  a small  metal  dnim.  They 
march  in  line,  execute  various  evolutions,  and  conclude 
by  climbing  upon  a low  table,  the  larger  ones  forming, 
of  their  own  accoi'd,  a bridge  for  the  smaller,  to  whom 
the  feat  would  otherwise  be  impossible.  When  they 
have  all  mounted,  they  dispose  themselves  in  three  or 
four  piles  like  so  many  plates.” 


TORTOISE  CHARMER. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


VAKIETIKS  OF  JAPAXE3E  LIFE. 

ri'HlE  Japanese  are  of  medium  stature,  pliysieally  ir - 
J-  ferior  to  the  Germanic  races,  but  with  some  littia 
resemblance  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  soutlieru  part  of 
Portu<ial.  There  is  a greater  difference  in  the  propor- 
tion between  the  height  of  tlie  sexes  than  is  found  in 
Europe.  According  to  tlie  observations  of  Dr.  Moh- 
nike,  formerly  physician  to  the  Dutch  factory  at  Desi- 
ina,  tlie  medium  height  of  the  men  is  five  feet,  two 
inches,  and  that  of  the  women  four  feet,  three  inches. 
In  the  neighhorhood  of  Yedo,  however,  men  of  six 
feet  are  not  unusual. 

The  Japanese,  without  being  precisely  dispropor- 
tioned,  have  geneially  large  heads,  slightly  set  within 
the  shoulders,  broad  breasts,  long  bodies,  and  short 
legs.  Their  feet  and  hands  are  small,  and  often  very 
beautiful.  The  form  of  the  cranium  has  much  more 
resemblance  to  the  Turanian  than  the  Mongolian  races. 
The  hair  is  invariably  soft,  thick,  and  as  black  as 
ebony.  The  men  have  a full  beard,  which  they  shave 
every  alternate  day.  The  color  of  the  skin  varies,  ac- 
cording to  the  different  classes  of  society,  between  the 
dark,  copper  tint  of  the  natives  of  Java  and  the  pale, 
golden  olive  of  the  South  of  Europe.  The  peculiar 
yellow  complexion  of  the  Chinese  is  never  seen  among 
u 


210 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


them.  Their  children  have  rosy  cheeks,  and  all  the 
other  signs  of  health  and  growth,  as  with  the  European 
races. 

d'ho  Japanese  women  are  fairer  than  the  men.  Many 
of  those  belonging  to  the  higher  classes  of  society  are 
perfectly  white,  and  a uniform  pallor  of  complexion  is 
esteemed  by  them  as  a sign  of  aristocratic  blood.  Nev- 
ertheless, they  have  two  features  which  will  always 
distinguish  them  from  the  pure  Caucasian  type,  — the 
oblique  eye,  and  an  ungraceful  depression  of  the  bosom, 
which  is  found  even  in  the  vounojest  and  most  beauti- 
ful.  Their  teeth  are  almost  always  white,  sound,  and 
regular,  and  the  practice  which  prevails  among  the 
married  women,  of  staining  them  black,  is  as  hideous 
as  it  is  unnatural. 

The  mobility  of  expression,  of  which  the  Japanese 
countenance  is  capable,  together  with  the  great  variety 
of  physiognomy  they  exhibit,  are  the  results  of  a more 
active,  free,  and  original  intellectual  development  than 
any  other  Asiatic  race  exhibits  at  present.  This  cir- 
cumstance explains  their  remarkable  capacity  for  adapt- 
ing themselves  to  all  the  conditions  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion. 

In  their  houses,  the  matting  of  rice-straw,  which  is 
four  inches  thick,  renders  all  other  furniture  nearly 
unnecessary.  It  is  the  mattress  on  which  the  Japanese 
sleeps,  enveloped  in  an  ample  gown  and  a wadded 
quilt,  with  his  head  upon  a little  wooden  pillow  ; it  is 
the  table-cloth  whereon  he  sets  the  lacquered  dishes 
which  contain  his  repast  ; it  is  a carpet  for  the  bare 
feet  of  his  children,  and  a divan  where,  squatted  on  his 
heels,  he  invites  his  friends  to  squat  in  like  manner  and 


VARIETIES  OF  JAPANESE  LIFE. 


211 


give  themselves  up  to  interminable  gossip,  witli  the 
never-failing  accompaniments  of  tea  and  tobacco. 

“ One  day,”  says  M.  Humbert,  “ when  I was  present 
at  the  recitations  of  half  a dozen  small  boys,  seated 
around  their  school-master,  I inquired  the  meaning  of 
the  words  which  they  repeated  in  chorus.  I was  told 
that  they  were  learning  to  recite  the  Irova^  a sort  of 
alphabet  in  which  the  Japanese  have  united  and  ar- 
ranged in  four  lines,  not  the  vowels  and  consonants, 
but  the  fundamental  sounds  of  their  language.  The 
number  of  these  is  fixed  at  forty-eight,  and  in  place  of 
classifvinor  them  as  elements  of  lauiiuacre  according  to 
their  relation  to  the  organs  of  speech,  they  are  thrown 
together  as  a little  poem,  the  first  word  of  which,  Irova, 
gives  its  name  to  the  alphabet.  I quote  it  exactly, 
with  the  preliminary  explanation,  that  the  consonant  v 
is  sometimes  pronounced  like/ and  sometimes  like  an 
aspirated  h,  in  certain  Japanese  dialects  ; that  the  w is 
always  pronounced  as  in  English  ; and  that  the  sounds 
of  d and  t are  frequently  confounded,  as  well  as  those 
of  g and  s and  ds,  z and  ts.  I should  therefore  not 
be  surprised  if  a Japanese  alphabet  were  still  to  be 
constructed  for  the  use  of  Europeans.  However  that 
may  be,  this  is  the  verse  : — 

“ Irova  nivov^to  tsirinourou  wo, 

Wagayo  darezo  tsoune  naramon. 

Ou  wi  no  okouyama  ke'fou  koyc'te, 

Asaki  youmemisi  evimo  sezou  oun.” 

“ That  which  particularly  interested  me,  indeed,  im- 
pressed me  very  profoundly,  is  the  signification  of  this 
quatrain  which  is  recited  daily,  throughout  the  Empire, 
bv  so  manv  millions  of  little  human  beings,  who  are 
immortal  souls,  no  less  than  we  : — 


212 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ Color  and  perfume  disappear. 

In  our  world,  what  can  be  permanent  ? 

The  present  day  has  vanished  in  the  abyss  of  nothitigpeM. 

It  was  the  frail  form  of  a dream  : it  disturbs  us  not.” 

“ Verily  this  national  alphabet  reveals  more  of  the 
inherent  character  of  the  Japanese  people  than  many 
large  vohimes.  For  ages  past,  the  generations  which 
go  repeat  to  the  generations  which  come  : ‘ There  is 
nothing  permanent  in  this  world  ; the  present  passes 
like  a dream,  and  its  flight  disturbs  us  not  in  the  least.’ 
The  peculiar  manifestations  of  the  religious  sentiment 
in  Japan  give  evidence  that  this  popular  philosophy  of 
annihilation  does  not  satisfy  the  needs  of  the  soul ; but 
it  acts,  nevertheless,  as  a constant  force,  the  results  of 
which  are  manifest  in  many  details  of  life. 

“ For  example,  this  feeling  undoubtedly  contributes 
to  the  suppression  of  domestic  comforts,  of  that  family 
sentiment  which  has  its  own  traditions  and  inherited 
habits.  All  that  is  poetic  in  the  lives  of  the  Japanese 
comes  from  their  harmony  with  the  external  world. 
When  nisht  comes,  the  screens  of  the  dwellincrs  are 
closed,  the  chambers  are  ])ut  in  order  for  sleeping,  and 
a single  lamp  is  lighted  in  a lofty  wooden  frame,  cov- 
ered with  oiled  paper,  giving  hardly  more  light  than 
that  of  the  stars.  But  with  morning,  all  the  furniture 
belonging  to  slumber  is  taken  away  and  |mt  into  a 
closet.  The  screens  are  opened  on  all  sides,  and  the 
dwelling  is  swept  from  one  end  to  the  other.  The  air 
circulates  ev'erywhere,  and  the  sunshine  falls  in  broad 
bars  across  the  matting.  Then,  during  the  hot  hours 
of  the  day,  the  house  is  again  so  thoroughly  closed  that 
it  seems  like  a gloomy  cavern,  and  becomes  the  abode 
of  the  most  absolute  indolence  and  repose. 


VARIETIES  OF  JAPANESE  LIFE. 


213 


“ The  cliildren  draw  tlie  most  profit  from  tliis  man- 
ner of  living  witliout  any  lively  remembrance  of  the 
past,  any  particular  care  for  the  future.  The  Japanese 
fathers  aiul  mothers  reco<rnize  that  childhood  has  its 

O 

own  laws,  and  therefore,  without  much  concerning 
themselves  about  discipline,  they  find  in  their  cliildren, 
from  day  to  day,  a source  of  amusement  and  recrea- 
tion. Tliose  travellers  who  declare  tliat  the  Jaj>anese 
children  never  cry  have  only  e.xaggerated  an  actual 
circumstance. 

“ The  Japanese  is  the  husband  of  a single  wife,  who 
enters  upon  her  household  duties  at  so  early  an  age, 
that,  in  every  respect  save  the  happiness  of  her  chil- 
dren, it  is  a ])ositive  evil.  She  passes  almost  without 
transition  from  playing  with  a doll  to  placing  with  a 
child,  and  she  retains  her  own  childish  character  for  a 
long  while.  On  the  other  hand,  the  national  custom 
does  Jiot  permit  her  to  I'aise  her  children  efteminatelv. 
Tlie  baby  must  be  hardened  to  atmospheric  influetices 
by  e.xposing  it  every  day  to  the  air,  and  even  to  the 
midday  sun,  comjdetely  naked  and  with  its  head  shaved. 
In  order  to  carry  it  witli  the  least  fatigue,  slie  sets  it 
upon  her  slioulders  between  the  chemise  and  the  collar 
of  her  kirimon.  In  the  dwellings,  the  children  mav 
safely  be  left  to  themselves,  to  tumble  upon  the  mat- 
ting as  they  please,  for  there  is  no  furniture  against 
which  they  might  injure  themselves. 

“For  playmates  they  have  domestic  animals, — a 
sort  of  little  rabbit  with  short  legs  and  a plump,  fat 
body,  and  a distinct  breed  of  cats,  with  white  fur 
marked  with  yellow  and  black  spots,  bad  mousers,  in- 
do. ent,  but  affectionate  animals.  Like  those  of  Java, 


214 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


they  have  no  tails.  There  is  no  family  in  tolerable 
circumstances  which  does  not  possess  an  aquarium  con- 
taining many  varieties  of  fish,  red,  silver,  golden,  round 
as  a ball,  or  with  large  palmated  fins,  thin  and  trans- 
parent as  gauze.  They  have  also  cages  of  bamboo, 
constructed  after  the  model  of  the  most  elecrant  houses, 
where,  upon  beds  of  flowers,  may  be  seen  clusters  of 
brilliant  butterflies,  or  large  katydids,  the  ])iercing, 
monotonous  note  of  which  is  very  agreeable  to  the 
nativ'es. 

“ This  is  an  outline,  at  least,  of  the  surroundings 
amid  which  the  Japanese  child  gi’ows  and  is  freelv  de- 
veloped. In  the  first  place  he  has  all  the  influences 
of  nature  and  the  open  air,  then  the  paternal  dwelling, 
which  is  hardly  more  than  a sheltered  gallery.  His 
parents  stint  him  neither  in  playthings,  plays,  nor  fes- 
tivals, as  much  on  account  of  their  own  amusement  as 
in  the  interest  of  his  education.  His  lessons  consist  in 
little  else  than  chanting  the  Irova  and  other  exercises 
in  reading,  and  in  drawing  with  a pencil  and  India  ink 
the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  then  words,  and  finally 
phrases.  His  emulation  is  not  excited,  and  he  is  not 
hurried  in  his  instruction,  because  the  latter  is  a matter 
of  general  utility,  and  can  only  be  slowly  acquired. 
The  idea  of  withholding  his  children  from  being  taught 
never  occurs  to  any  parent.  There  is  no  educational 
system  in  the  country,  and  no  compulsory  law  ; yet 
the  entire  adult  population  of  both  sexes  is  able  to 
read,  write,  and  calculate.” 


JAPAVKSE  WRESTLERS. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


THE  GYMNASTS  AND  WRESTLERS. 

HE  Japanese  liave  an  equal  passion  for  gymnastic 


sports  atul  feats  of  strength,  as  foi  dramatic 
rei)resentations.  For  many  centuries  they  have  had  a 
regular  class  of  trained  performers,  who  often  attain  a 
remarkable  degree  of  skill.  One  of  the  first  enter- 
tainments they  offered  to  Commodore  Perry,  after  the 
treaty  of  Yokohama,  was  a wrestling  match  between 
some  of  their  famous  champions  of  the  ring;  and  they 
still  delight  in  having  foreigners  witness  displays  of 
strength  and  agility,  which,  they  imagine,  are  not 
equaled  anywhere  else  in  the  world. 

M.  Humbert  gives  the  following  description  of  the 
performances  of  this  class,  both  in  the  streets  and  booths. 
“ In  the  public  squares,  the  shouts  and  the  sound  of 
tambourines  of  two  troops  of  gymnastic  mountebanks, 
installed  at  opposite  corners,  are  heard  above  the  voices, 
songs,  and  clatter  of  implements  of  labor  in  the  sur- 
rounding work-shops.  One  of  these  troops  performs  in 
the  open  air,  its  heroes  being  the  swallower  of  swords, 
and  the  prodigious  jumper.  The  latter  leaps  with  im- 
punity through  two  hoops  crossed  at  right  angles,  fixed 
on  the  top  of  a pole,  which  also  supports  a jar  care- 
fully balanced  on  the  intersecting  hoops.  But  his  most 
remarkable  feat  consists  in  leaping,  or  rather  flying. 


216 


TRA  VEIS  IN  JAPAN. 


from  end  to  end  through  a cylinder  of  bamboo  lattice- 
works,  six  feet  long,  and  placed  on  trestles.  When  he 
wishes  to  excite  the  amazement  of  the  spectators  to  the 
highest  pitch,  the  performer  lights  four  candles  and 
places  them  in  a line,  at  regular  intervals,  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  cylinder ; after  which  he  ])asses  through 
like  a flash,  without  extin<iuishino:  or  deranofing  them. 

“ His  gentle  spouse,  seated  on  a box  beside  the  cyl- 
inder, accompanies  the  different  stages  of  the  perfonu- 
ance  with  airs  on  her  guitar.  To  the  shrill  sounds  of 
the  instrument  she  adds,  from  time  to  time,  the  tones  of 
a voice  which  is  either  hoarse  and  hollow,  or  pier- 
cingly elevated,  according  as  she  judges  it  better  to 
encourage  sternly  or  to  celebrate  triumidiantly  the 
prowess  of  the  astonishing  man  whose  fortunes  she  is 
permitted  to  share. 

“ The  other  troop  is  that  of  the  gymnasts  of  Miako. 
They  perform  in  a vast  shed,  filled  with  such  appa- 
ratus as  masts,  bars,  and  parallels,  differing  little  from 
those  of  our  gymnasia.  The  ever-useful  bamboo  fur- 
nishes all  the  necessary  material.  The  troop  is  nu- 
merous, certain  of  their  feats,  trained  to  all  enterprises 
of  daring,  and  all  the  finer  graces  of  their  profession. 
They  have  no  regular  clown  ; each  one  is  his  own  buf- 
foon, and  knows  how  to  pass  in  an  instant,  with  th'e 
most  perfect  ease,  from  the  comical  to  the  sublime,  or 
the  reverse.  The  most  original  part  of  the  represen- 
tation, to  the  European  eyes,  is  the  simplicity  of  the 
gymnastic  costume.  They  have  no  idea  of  the  tricot., 
or  flesh-colored  “ tio-hts,”  and  their  wardrobe  consists 
only  of  two  pocket-handkerchiefs  tied  around  the  loins. 
Their  head-dress  is  a burlesque  imitation  of  the  bou- 


THE  GYMNASTS  AND  WRESTLERS. 


217 


nets  of  tlie  princes  or  the  miti'e  of  the  iMikado.  They 
do  not  lay  it  aside,  either  when  the}  perform  cn  the 
bars  and  masts,  or  even  wlien  tliey  perform  tlie  difficult 
feat  of  picking  np  by  two  toes  a straw  bee-hive  lying 
on  tlie  ground,  and  placing  it  upon  the  head  with  the 
foot  alone,  while  standing  motionless  with  folded  arms. 

“ Tne  people  of  Yedo  seemed  to  me  to  be  only 
moderately  interested  in  these  gymnastic  representa- 
tions. They  are  not  sufficiently  dramatic  for  their 
taste.  They  prefer  the  emotions  excited  by  the  spec- 
tacle of  man  stru<igling  with  man,  or  with  the  laws  of 
the  material  world.  They  insist  that  even  their  theat- 
rical performances  should  overcome  stubborn  obsta- 
cles, and  encounter  serious  dangers,  for  their  pleas- 
ure. Above  all,  they  require  that  new  aliment  shall 
constantly  be  furnished,  to  gratify  their  appetite  for 
what  is  fantastic  and  marvelous.  It  is  not  enough 
that  the  rope-dancers  perform  the  most  remarkable 
feats  of  equilibrium  Avith  grace  and  agility:  the  rope 
must  be  stretched  at  a great  elevation,  and  the  dancer 
must  undergo  the  most  sudden  and  violent  jerks,  while 
balancing  himself  on  one  foot,  in  such  a manner  that 
his  fall  appears  inevitable  to  the  spectators. 

“Neither  is  it  enough  for  the  people  that  the  jug- 
glers are  as  skillful  with  the  left  hand  as  with  the 
right ; they  must  train  their  toes  to  an  equal  dexterity. 
Even  the  wrestling-match,  which,  with  the  Greeks, 
and  even  now  with  the  Swiss  mountaineers,  was  the 
simplest,  noblest,  and  most  popular  of  all  gymnastic 
exercises,  becomes  in  Japan  a feature  of  the  circus,  a 
fantastic  and  ])henomenal  struggle,  executed  only  by 
professional  athletes. 


218 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“It  is  true,  however,  that  wrestling,  under  this  un- 
nsnal  form,  was  among  tlie  most  ancient  diversions 
of  the  Japanese.  But  we  must  add,  in  explanation, 
that  tlie  national  passion  for  gambling  constitutes  an 
important  part  of  their  interest  in  the  ])erformance. 
As  they  do  not  possess  the  institution  of  horse-racing 
— at  least,  in  the  European  form  — they  hav'e  accus- 
tomed themselves  to  bet  on  the  results  of  wrestling- 
matches  between  rival  companies  of  athletes. 

“ The  tribe,  or  guild,  of  wrestlers,  professes  to  date 
its  charter  from  the  seventh  month  of  the  third  year 
of  the  reign  of  Zinmou,  the  first  Mikado,  b.  c.  658. 
As  it  is  placed  under  the  imperial  protection,  the  cor- 
poration arranges  its  annual  exhibitions  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  government,  sending  detachments  to 
all  the  principal  cities  of  Japan.  They  do  not  possess 
a permanent  circus  anywhere : the  booths  or  show  tents 
are  constructed  by  the  cities  which  invite  them,  or, 
sometimes,  the  Buddhist  monasteries.  They  are  often 
of  very  large  dimensions,  but  of  the  plainest  character. 

“ The  arrangement  of  these  wrestling  cirques  is  al- 
ways the  same.  They  rarely  have  moi’e  than  one  tier 
of  galleries,  which  communicate  with  the  jiarquet  by 
means  of  bamboo  ladders.  Men  and  women  sit  indis- 
criminately together.  With  the  exception  of  a small 
number  of  boxes  reserved  for  the  civil  authorities, 
there  are  only  two  classes,  the  occupants  of  the  galler- 
ies paying  the  higher  fee.  The  spectators  crowd  into 
the  circus  long  before  the  hour  of  representation.  The 
chances  of  the  match  being  the  objecl  of  eager  betting, 
those  spectators  who  attend  for  the  purpose  of  gam- 
bling in  this  manner,  hasten  to  get  possession  of  the 


THE  GYMNASTS  AND  WRESTLERS.  219 


best  places  for  watching  the  performance,  usually  the 
lowest  seat  of  the  amphitheatre,  including  the  arena 
where  the  wrestling  takes  place.  None  of  the  athletes 
appear  in  the  circus  until  after  the  spectators  are  all  in 
their  places.  They  wait  in  the  dressing-room,  where 
they  leave  the  garments,  gird  their  loins  with  a silk 
s 'arf  with  long  fringes,  and  adorn  themselves  with  a 
sort  of  apron  of  velvet,  etnhroidered  with  their  coat-of- 
arms,  and  the  tokens  of  their  former  victories.  Dif- 
ferent societies  of  wresilers  take  part  in  each  perform- 
ance. The  champion  of  each  society  is  its  chief,  or 
leader:  and  he  possesses,  like  the  champions  of  English 
pugilism,  a belt,  which  is  usually  presented  to  him  by 
the  lord  of  his  native  province.  He  wears  this  belt 
at  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  each  performance. 

“ The  preparations  for  the  match  are  interminably 
pn)longed.  Nothwithstanding  the  assistance  of  their 
comrades,  the  famous  wrestlers  never  find  that  their 
belts  are  drawn  tio-ht  enouc>:h,  that  their  head-dress 
is  firmly  enough  fitted  upon  the  nape  of  the  neck, 
or  that  their  aprons  are  properly  disjdayed.  Then 
they  must  carefully  examine  the  articulations  of  their 
arms  and  legs,  make  the  joints  crack  one  after  the 
other,  and  stretch  all  their  limbs  by  means  of  pads  of 
straw  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  Finally,  the  oound 
of  a drum  is  heard  from  the  top  of  the  tower,  or 
rather,  the  high  wooden  cage  which  is  built  ever  the 
main  entrance  of  the  circus.  The  impatience  of  the 
crowd  is  lost  in  the  noise  of  the  reception,  for  all  ex- 
pect a scene  of  the  most  surprising  character.  The 
illustrated  placards  have  excited  the  imagination  of  the 
public  to  the  highest  pitch.  It  is  not  ordinary  mortals 


220 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


whom  the  spectators  will  now  behold,  but  giants,  co 
lossi,  fabulous  lieroes,  who  surpass  all  human  propor- 
tions ! 

“ Meanwhile  an  obsequious  personage,  diminutive  in 
stature,  but  dressed  in  the  most  exquisite  taste,  and 
saluting  all  around  him  with  the  most  ])erfect  polite- 
ness,— the  manager,  in  short,  — takes  his  stand  in 
the  centre  of  the  arena,  where  he  announces,  in  a 
clear  and  musical  voice,  the  ])rogrannne  of  the  per- 
formances, the  names  and  famous  titles  of  the  two 
rival  companies  who  are  about  to  enter  the  lists,  as 
well  as  the  character  of  the  bets  which  have  alreadv 
been  made  on  the  a]tproaching  struggle.  The  drum 
sounds  a second  time,  and  this  is  the  sijrnal  of  the 
grand  entree.  The  wrestlers  advance  in  single  file, 
marching  with  pendent  arms,  and  heads  erected,  their 
figures  towering  over  the  spectators  squatted  on  the 
benches  of  the  ])it.  A low  murmur  of  admiration  fol- 
lows their  triumphal  inarch.  In  fact  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult, in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  to  arrange  a pro- 
cession comparable  to  that  of  the  athletes  of  Yedo. 
From  father  to  son,  they  follow  an  exact  hygienic  sys- 
tem, perfected  from  age  to  age,  and  the  final  result 
equals  that  which,  in  England,  has  only  been  achieved 
in  the  breedino;  of  cattle. 

“ After  this  parade,  the  wrestlers  divide  themselves 
into  two  bodies,  remove  their  aprons,  and  squat  upon 
the  ground,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  arena,  which  is 
a circular  space,  raised  a foot  or  two  above  the  floor 
of  the  amphitheatre.  It  is  sanded,  surrounded  by  a 
double  embankment  of  straw  sacks,  and  covered  by  an 
elegant  roof  resting  on  four  wooden  pillars.  All  the 


THE  GYMNASTS  AND  WRESTLERS.  221 


rest  of  the  circus  is  open  to  tlie  sky.  From  the  top  of 
the  gallery  the  spectator  may  distinguish  the  roofs  of 
the  great  city,  the  parks  surrounding  the  Tycoon's  cas- 
tle, and  the  distant  snowy  cone  of  Fusi-yama. 

“ To  one  of  the  four  pillars  is  suspended  a sprinkling- 
brush  : to  another  a paper  bag  containing  salt;  to  a 
third  a sabre  of  honor  ; while  at  the  foot  of  the  fourth, 
on  the  outer  side  of  the  arena,  there  is  a bucket  of 
•water. 

“ There  are  four  judges  of  the  combat,  each  of  whom 
posts  himself  beside  a pillar:  the  manager  remains  in 
the  arena.  Provided  with  a fan  instead  of  a baton  of 
command,  he  invites  a representative  of  each  of  the 
rival  companies  to  enter  the  ring,  and  announces  to  the 
applause  of  the  spectators,  the  titles  of  the  two  illustri- 
ous champions.  Nevertheless,  the  struggle  is  not  yet 
to  commence.  The  art  of  creating  embarrassments  is 
one  of  the  principal  talents  of  the  Japanese  athlete. 
The  )>air  of  heroes  begin  by  having  themselves  meas- 
ured ; which  is  merely  a preliminary  comparison.  Then 
each  one  retires  to  his  side,  stretches  himself,  stamps 
upon  the  earth,  drinks  a mouthful  of  water,  takes  a 
pinch  of  salt,  and  finally  prostrates  himself  in  order  to 
avert  an  evil  fate.  After  all  this  they  meet,  as  if  by 
accident,  and  place  themselves  in  position,  — that  is, 
tliey  squat  down,  face  to  face  with  each  other,  and  stare 
fi.xedly  in  each  other’s  eyes.  When  they  have  had 
enough  of  this,  they  straighten  themselves  np  with  a 
great  deal  of  gravity,  refresh  themselves  again  with 
water  or  salt,  satisfy  themselves  that  they  are  girded 
sufficiently,  and  begin  to  slap  their  thighs  or  knees  in 
measure,  lifting  the  right  and  left  foot  alternately  at  the 
same  time. 


222 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ Finally  they  resume  their  first  position,  and,  this 
time,  pass  to  the  second,  always  with  the  same  gaze, 
the  same  apparent  rigidity ; hut  we  notice  that  the 
body  is  raised  gradually,  the  arms  slowly  extend  them- 
selves, and  the  crooked  fingers  are  straightened  to  en- 
counter  the  adversary.  All  at  once  the  attack  com- 
mences on  both  sides.  Each  repels  the  other's  hands, 
without  allowing  his  own  to  be  seized,  or  without  over- 
coming  the  resistance.  The  jury  thereupon  certifies 
that  the  two  wrestlers  are  of  equal  strength  and  they 
rest  awhile. 

“ Such  was  the  result,  and  such  is  the  faithful  de- 
scription of  the  first  wrestling-match  which  I witnessv'd. 
Nevertheless,  it  was  not  therefore  without  interest. 
The  trial  consists,  in  fact,  in  pushing  or  hurling  the 
adversary  outside  of  the  circle  of  straw-sacks.  If  he 
passes  this  boundary  by  a single  step,  he  has  lost : his 
fortunate  rival  is  regarded  as  the  master  of  the  arena. 
Oftentimes  one  is  vanquished  so  rapidly  that  the  spec- 
tators do  not  perceive  it. 

“ The  Japanese  wrestlers  endeavor  to  win  the  match, 
less  by  their  muscular  strength  and  their  agility  than  by 
their  weight,  — that  is,  by  the  violent  shock  or  the  con- 
stant pressure  of  one  great  mass  of  flesh  against  another. 
I have  never  seen  one  of  them  thrown  to  the  ground. 
Lively,  animated  struggles,  dramatic  incidents  or  pic- 
turesque situations  are  very  rarely  to  be  seen.  It  also 
seldom  happens  that  one  of  the  two  equally  enormous 
combatants  loses  his  footing,  or  is  lifted  from  the  earth 
by  his  antagonist.  Besides,  if  there  is  the  least  indica- 
tion of  danger  to  either,  or  that  the  struggle  is  assum- 
ing  a serious,  passionate  character,  the  little  manager, 


THE  GYMSASTS  AND  WRESTLERS. 


223 


with  a thousand  pathetic  grimaces,  liastens  to  interfere. 
Tlie  most  lie  allows  is  that  an  athlete  specially  ^avored 
by  fortune  may  seize  his  rival  by  the  leg,  and  force  iiim 
to  hop  backwards.  It  needs  nothing  more  than  this  to 
excite  the  spectators  to  an  enthusiasm  impossible  to 
describe.  The  conqueror  is  always  handsomely  remu- 
nerated by  the  stjciety  which  owes  t<)  him  the  winning 
of  its  wages.  Tlie  members  throw  pawns  to  him  sucli 
as  girdles  or  handkerchiefs,  which  he  afterwards  carries 
to  the  residences  of  the  owners,  who  reclaim  them  for 
a stipulated  sum. 

“ The  wrestlers  who  acquire  a certain  celebrity  are 
received  in  the  houses  of  the  better  class  of  citizens, 
and  even  of  the  nobility.  The  government  allows 
them  to  wear  a sabre,  on  condition  of  paying  a tax  for 
the  privilege.  Children  call  them  by  their  names  in 
the  streets,  and  when  they  deign  to  appear  in  any  place 
consecrated  to  the  popular  recreation,  they  are  sure  . to 
receive,  from  both  se.xes,  a reception  as  enthusiastic  u 
is  accorded  to  any  famous  bull-fighter  in  Spain.” 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


SCENES  AROUND  YEDO, 


OTHING  would  better  serve  to  give  a correct 


idea  of  the  immense  circumference  of  Yedo,  than 
to  follow  the  outer  zone  of  the  suburbs  on  the  south- 
ern, western,  and  northern  sides  of  the  castle  ; for  it 
extends  from  the  village  of  Sinagawa,  opposite  the 
harbor  forts,  to  the  country  traversed  by  the  great 
northern  highway,  and  the  fertile  plains  to  the  east- 
ward watered  by  two  of  the  rivers  which  intersect  the 
city.  All  this  zone,  however,  presents  the  uniform 
appearance  of  rural  districts  attached  to  the  capital. 
From  one  end  to  the  other,  the  curiosities  which  the 
stranger  discovers  are  of  the  same  character,  — rustic 
temples  built  against  the  sepulchral  hills,  statues  of 
granite,  or  commemorative  tablets,  erected  over  the 
tomb  of  some  celebrated  personage,  or  meant  to  per- 
petuate the  remembrance  of  an  event  in  the  history 
of  the  ancient  Tycoons  ; here,  tea-houses,  great  or- 
chards, establishments  of  horticulture  ; there,  sacred 
trees,  resting-places  commanding  beautiful  views,  and 
sometimes  an  isolated  hill,  cut  into  the  shape  of  Fusi- 


This  outside  zone,  called  the  Inaka,  is  like  a park  or 
continuous  garden,  dotted  with  rural  habitations,  or, 
rather,  like  a garland  of  vei’dure  and  flowers,  which 


yama. 


SCENES  AROUND  YEDO. 


225 


unites  and  binds  together  the  southern  quarters  of  the 
city  with  those  of  the  west,  the  regions  of  the  artisans 
scattered  around  the  extremities  of  tlie  main  street;, 
tlie  villages  planted  along  the  boundaries  of  the  rice- 
fields,  and  filially,  the  dwellings  along  the  banks  of  the 
Sumidagawa  river. 

Durino;  the  season  of  blossomintr  orchards,  the  citi- 

o O' 

zen,  the  painter,  and  the  student  become  rural  and 
idyllic  in  their  tastes,  leave  the  labors  and  pleasures  of 
the  great  capital,  and  hide  themselves  for  a day  — or 
for  several  days,  if  possible  — among  the  groves  and 
under  the  rustic  roofs  of  the  tea-houses  here.  The 
latter  are  innumerable,  and  are  mostly  charming  re- 
treats, whose  chief  ornaments  are  the  natural  beauties 
around  them.  They  are  hardly  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  neighboring  country  habitations,  for  their 
great  thatched  roofs  descend  on  all  sides  nearly  to  the 
ground.  Domestic  fowls  of  various  kinds  sun  them- 
selves  on  the  mossy  thatch,  which  rises  in  stages  to  the 
jieak  of  the  roof,  where  tufts  of  iris  grow  and  blossom. 
In  place  of  verandahs,  arbors  of  grape-vines  or  other 
climbing  plants  shade  the  tea-drinkers,  indolently 
lounging  on  their  benches.  A limpid  stream  of  water 
flows  near  at  hand,  beside  the  path  which  descends  to 
the  plain  through  gardens,  orchards,  and  fields  of  pop- 
pies or  beans. 

The  citizen  does  not  disdain  to  accost  the  peasant  at 
his  labor,  and  to  exchange  with  him’  many  wise  obser- 
vations on  the  methods  of  irrigation,  the  quality  of  the 
productions  raised  in  this  or  that  neighborhood,  or  the 
state  of  the  city  markets.  Often  the  Japanese  cock- 
ney becomes  quite  enthusiastic,  declaring  that  there  is 
15 


226 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


no  such  life  in  the  world  as  that  of  an  inhabitant  of  the 
country.  The  latter  sometimes  shakes  his  head,  or 
replies  by  some  joke  in  his  own  fashion.  One  day  M. 
Humbert  saw  a peasant,  leaning  on  his  spade,  with 
both  feet  in  a swamp,  listen  smilingly  to  the  senti- 
mental citizen,  then  silently  stoop  down,  pull  two 
leeches  from  his  lees  and  offer  them  to  the  former. 

There  are  associations  of  citizens  in  Yedo,  who  three 
times  a year  — in  February,  June,  and  October, — 
undertake  a A'eritable  rural  pilgrimage  to  the  villages 
several  miles  distant,  in  order  to  delight  their  eyes  with 
the  clianges  of  the  seasons  and  the  varying  aspects  of 
nature. 

In  winter,  Avhen  the  snow  falls,  they  make  it  a duty 
as  Avell  as  a pleasure  to  go  Avith  their  families  and  Avit- 
ness  the  strange  transformations  in  the  appearance  of 
the  great  statues  or  temples  ; but,  above  all,  they  visit 
certain  advantageously  situated  tea-houses  of  the  sub- 
urbs, Avhence  they  enjoy  vie>vs  of  the  shores  and  the 
inland  landscapes,  in  their  wintry  garb.  In  the  sum- 
mer there  are  particular  hills  Avhere  the  katydids 
abound,  and  eA'ery  affectionate  father  goes  there  AA’ith 
his  children,  provided  Avith  little  osier  cages,  in  AA-hich 
tliey  carry  home  some  of  the  shrill-voiced  minstrels. 

The  poets  Avho  celebrate  spring  and  summer,  and  the 
artists  in  search  of  neAv  inspirations,  love  to  abandon 
themselves,  from  morning  until  night,  to  study  and  idle 
reverie  among  the  cherry  and  peai  trees,  or  the  clumps 
of  bamboo,  orange,  j)ine,  and  cypress  trees  around  cer- 
tain temples,  Avhich  haA’e  been  the  classic  haunts  of  the 
old  muses  of  Nipon.  At  night  they  meet  together  in 
some  favorite  hostel,  Avhere  the  pleasures  of  the  table 


SCENES  AROUND  YEDO. 


227 


are  seasoned  witli  conversations  on  art  and  literature, 
with  music  and  song,  the  examination  of  drawings,  or 
tlie  reading  of  poems  produced  during  the  day.  Some- 
times a skillful  artist  will  throw  off,  during  the  conver- 
sation, a rapid  portrait  or  caricature  of  some  member 
of  the  company,  which  is  sure  to  be  received  with 
great  applause. 

The  Japanese  caricatures  are  generally  very  good- 
natured.  Many  of  them  represent  scenes  of  ordinary 
life  ; a grave  physician  studying  the  tongue  of  his  pa- 
tient, or  examining  a diseased  eye  through  enormous 
glasses  ; quacks  performing  the  operation  of  the  moxa ; 
comical  scenes  of  hunting  and  fishing  ; examples  of 
female  jealousy,  and  all  sorts  of  household  quarrels. 
There  are  also  complete  series  of  all  the  inconven- 
iences of  life  in  the  hio;her  circles  ; illustrations  of 
prodigal  and  avaricious  families ; all  the  different 
grimaces  which  the  human  face  is  capable  of  making, 
and  finally,  caricatures  of  the  artists,  who  are  repi’e- 
sented  as  painting  with  six  pencils  at  the  same  time  — 
two  in  each  hand,  and  one  in  each  foot. 

When  the  Russian  frigate  Diana  was  wrecked  by  an 
earthquake  in  the  harbor  of  Simoda,  some  Japanese 
artist  immediately  produced  a comical  representation 
of  the  event.  The  guns,  spars,  and  crew  were  drawn, 
flying  in  all  directions;  the  commander  with  his  drawn 
sword,  hung,  head  downwards,  in  the  topmast  rigging, 
and  over  him  was  written  : “ A new  way  of  keeping 
the  perpendicular  ! ” 

The  Japanese  artists  also  make  use  of  animals  in 
many  of  their  satirical  works.  They  will  represent  the 
superior  of  a monastery  with  a wolf’s  head,  a group  of 


228 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


nuns  as  weasels,  or  even  the  Tycoon  himself  as  a mon- 
key. One  sketch  of  a hare  prostrating  himself  in  fear 
at  the  feet  of  a wild  boar,  gives  the  former  the  costume 
of  the  inferior  nobility,  and  the  latter  that  of  a high 
functionary  of  the  court,  his  head  proudly  bearing  tlie 
peculiar  mitre-shaped  cap  of  Miako. 

The  native  love  of  what  is  fantastic  shows  itself  ev'en 
in  their  religious  utensils.  The  gongs,  urns  for  per- 
fumes, candelabra,  and  altars  are  frequently  shaped 
like  hideous  monsters,  with  wings  and  open  jaws. 
Their  fondness  for  the  suburban  tea-houses  does  not 
simply  indicate  a love  for  the  beautiful.  j\Iany  of 
these  houses  are  so  situated  that  they  command  views 
of  the  mountain  of  Fusi-yama,  and  the  outline  of  that 
extraordinary  peak,  as  it  aj)pears  at  sunrise  and  sunset, 
in  a clear  sky  or  with  a background  of  storm,  would 
satisfy  the  most  exacting  imagination.  But  other  tea- 
houses add  to  the  charms  of  landscape  the  mysterious 
attraction  of  foaming  cascades,  mineral  springs,  or 
basins  of  hot  water,  as  in  some  of  the  watering-places 
of  Switzerland.  The  people  do  not  resort  to  such 
places  specially  for  the  benefit  of  the  waters ; but  they 
delight  in  taking  their  families  and  spending  several 
days  in  those  elegant  cottages  of  cedar-wood,  built 
beside  the  streams  and  in  the  magnificent  groves. 

Other  places  of  pleasure  are  connected  with  some 
popular  superstition.  There  the  visitors  may  pass  from 
the  temple  or  shrine  to  the  tea-house,  with  the  satisfac- 
tion which  follows  the  performance  of  a pious  duty. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  month,  thousands  of 
pilgrims  of  both  sexes,  mostly  small  tradesmen  or 
farmers  from  the  suburbs  and  the  suri'ounding  country, 


SCENES  AROUND  YEDO. 


229 


crowd  the  taverns  and  monasteries  of  Yousima-Ten- 
djia.  They  may  be  seen  marching  in  long  files  on 
the  narrow  paths  between  the  rice-fields,  hastening  to 
buy  bamboo  rakes  in  that  lonely  temple,  which  is 
almost  lost  among  the  marshes  to  the  north  of  the  city. 
These  rakes,  which  are  of  such  good  omen  for  the  ap- 
proaching harvest,  are  nothing  else  than  holy  toys, 
which  serve  as  talismans  in  the  dwellings  of  the  faith- 
ful. They  are  supplied  to  the  multitudes  in  every 
style,  and  adapted  to  the  means  of  all  ; some  are  of 
colossal  size,  bearing  a banner  of  silk  or  wood,  on 
which  is  painted  the  .lunk  of  Plenty  ; others,  of  mod- 
erate dimensions,  bear  the  monogram  of  the  God  of 
Wealth  : while  the  smallest  have  only  the  head  of  the 
God  of  Rice,  or  some  sort  of  mythological  emblem,  in 
paste-board  or  papier-mache. 

The  peculiarity  of  costume,  at  that  season,  adds  to 
the  comical  effect  of  the  ]u*ocession.  The  men  wear 
blue  cotton  pantaloons  and  a wadded  coat  with  wide 
sleeves  ; most  of  them  are  bare-headed,  but  have  their 
noses  protected  by  a crape  handkerchief,  tied  at  the 
back  of  the  neck,  while  some  wear  a crape  cap  or  a 
wadded  hood  which  covers  the  whole  face  except  the 
eyes.  The  women  wear  the  same  hood,  and  thrust 
their  hands  into  the  opposite  sleeves  to  keep  them 
warm.  The  same  temple  sells  amulets  to  set  along  the 
borders  of  the  fields,  consisting  of  square  pieces  of 
pa|)er  fastened  to  sticks,  and  the  bare-headed  peasants 
carry  them  home  conveniently,  thrust  into  their  chig- 
nons, like  so  many  ornaments  for  the  head. 

Further  to  the  north,  the  culture  of  those  trees  which 
are  useful  in  the  arts  is  as  important  a branch  of  indus- 


230 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


try  as  tliat  of  rice  or  vegetables  We  find  tliere  large 
plantations  of  the  Rhus  vernix  (rroin  wliich  the  famous 
varnish  is  made)  and  of  the  Broussonetia  papyrifera, 
which  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  paper.  Tlie  fijrmer 
produces,  for  thirteen  years,  varnisli  of  the  value  of 
from  twelve  to  twenty  dollars  annually.  Incisions  are 
made  in  the  bark  in  June  and  reopened  in  September, 
for  a second  ci'op  of  gum  ; but  the  latter  produces  an 
inferior  quality  of  varnish.  As  the  gum  in  its  crude 
state  possesses  poisonous  qualities,  the  peasants  who 
collect  it  anoint  their  hands  and  faces  with  oil. 

The  gardens  of  Odji,  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
city,  are  also  a very  popular  place  of  resort.  They 
are  situated  at  the  entrance  to  a mountain  troro-e, 
whence  a small  river  issues  in  cascades,  and  then  goes 
winding  away  through  a beautiful  valley.  The  bal- 
conies and  galleries  of  the  tea-houses  overhano-  the 

O ^ 

waters ; the  rooms,  the  seats,  the  matting  and  screens 
are  kept  in  a condition  of  dazzling  neatness,  and  the 
service  is  noted  for  its  simplicity  and  elegance.  There 
are  interestino;  historical  souvenirs  connected  with  manv 
places  in  the  neighborhood.  A hunting-castle  of  the 
Tycoons  formerly  occupied  the  summit  of  one  of  the 
hills,  whence  thei-e  is  a very  extended  view  of  the 
country.  A little  further,  in  a narrow  valley,  there  is 
a temple  founded  by  the  great  lyeyas,  and  now  dedi- 
cated to  him,  and  a marvelous  fountain  which  leaps 
from  a high  wall  of  rock.  The  deity  of  the  spot  is 
represented  by  a stone  idol,  before  which  the  guests  of 
Odji  repeat  their  prayers,  when,  heated  by  too  much 
saki,  they  cool  themselves  by  means  of  this  natural 
douche.  In  the  village  below,  a number  of  booths  or 


SCENES  AROUND  YEDO. 


231 


open  counters  offer  to  tlie  visitors  and  their  children  all 
sorts  of  curiosities,  made  in  the  place  ; for  the  pleasure 
of  such  an  excursion  would  not  be  complete  to  the  citi- 
zen families,  unless  they  carried  home  some  sort  of  toy 
or  trinket  as  a souvenir. 

The  gardens  of  Odji  are  all  the  more  popular  be- 
cause, since  the  earliest  times,  they  have  been  under 
the  protection  of  Inari,  the  tutelar  deity  of  the  rice- 
fields,  and  also  of  the  sacred  animal  which  has  been 
given  to  him  as  an  attribute  — blaster  Kitsne,  tlie  fox, 
who  has  deigned  to  honor  this  region  with  his  particu- 
lar favor. 

He  is  worshipped  on  the  hill  called  Odji-Inari.  On 
the  seventeenth  day  of  the  first  month,  an  innumerable 
and  motley  crowd  of  people  from  the  city  and  country 
flocks  to  his  temple,  to  suspend  their  votive  offerings 
there,  and  deposit  in  the  grated  box  their  tribute  for 
the  new  year.  Then,  dispersing  themselves  among  the 
thickets  on  the  hill,  they  contemplate,  at  a distance, 
the  great  tree  in  the  marsh  below,  around  which,  the 
night  before,  the  annual  meeting  of  the  foxes  is  sup- 
posed to  have  taken  place.  They  eagerly  question  the 
persons  who  pretend  to  have  seen  the  congregation, 
each  fox  attended  by  one  of  those  will-o’-the-wisps 
which  the  spirits  of  the  rice-fields  furnish  as  lanterns 
for  the  occasion.  According  to  the  reports  of  the  wit- 
nesses concerning  the  character  of  the  festival,  the 
number  of  foxes  present,  the  gJvyety  or  gravity  of  their 
proceedings,  the  peasants  draw  their  conjectures  for 
the  coming  year,  and  estimate  the  abundance  and  the 
quality  of  their  prospective  harvests.  As  a proper 
conclusion,  they  seat  themselves  around  the  brasiers 


232 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


in  the  guest-rooms  of  the  tea-houses,  and  discuss,  in  a 
low  voice,  the  mysterious  influence  of  Master  Kitsn4 
in  the  affairs  of  tlie  world, 

“ I liave  had  tlie  misfortune  to  lose  a child,”  savs 
one  of  the  company.  “ The  physician  could  not  even 
tell  in  what  part  of  the  body  its  disease  was  situated. 
But  while  the  poor  mother  was  grieving,  the  lamp  Ic- 
side  the  corpse  threw  her  shadow  on  the  opposite  wall. 
Everybody  in  the  chamber  noticed  that  the  shadow 
which  fell  upon  the  screen  was  the  exact  resemblance 
of  a fox.” 

“ And  then,  the  travellers  ! ” says  another,  “ when 
they  see  a road  prolonged  interminably  before  them, 
the  distance  of  which,  nevertheless,  they  know  very 
well,  is  it  not  because  they  have  forgotten  to  reckon 
with  the  fox’s  brush?  How  many  times,  too,  they 
wander  around  between  the  rice-fields,  following  the 
treacherous  will-o’-the-wisps,  which  Master  Kitsn^  has 
sent  to  mislead  them  ! ” 

And  the  hunters  ! ” exclaims  a third,  “ -what  tricks 
has  he  not  played  upon  them  ? If  it  sometimes  hap- 
pens that  a skillful  marksman  dares  to  take  revenge,  he 
has  only  the  mortification  of  seeing  the  fox  scamper 
away,  having  caught  in  his  mouth  the  arrow  which 
w'as  meant  to  transfix  him,” 

The  annals  of  Japan  declare  that  Kitsn^  has  the 
jiower  of  changing  himself  into  many  forms.  When 
the  Mikado  who  reigned  in  1150  found  himself  under 
the  painful  necessity  of  dismissing  his  favorite  lady,  in 
order  to  save  the  treasury  of  the  empire  from  bank- 
ruptcy, she  vanished  from  his  palace  in  the  form  of  a 
white  fox,  with  six  tails,  shaped  like  fans.  The  people 


SCENES  AROUND  YEDO. 


233 


also  tell  ex,raordinaiy  st(  ries  of  the  abduction  of  young 
girls,  some  of  whom  never  reappear,  while  others  pro- 
hibit their  parents  from  questioning  them  by  uttering 
the  single  word  : Kitsn6  ! 

When  the  fox  chooses  to  assume  the  form  of  an  old 
priest,  he  is  then  most  dangerous.  There  is  only  one 
method  of  detecting  him.  Master  Kitsnd,  whatever 
may  be  his  disguise,  never  loses  his  power  ol'  scent, 
and  its  effect  upon  him  remains  the  same.  If  any  one 
])laces  a rat,  freshly  roasted,  in  the  way  of  the  false 
])riest,  the  latter,  regardless  of  the  consequences,  will 
drop  his  metamorphosis  in  order  to  pounce  upon  it. 

The  priests  and  eremites  of  the  mountains,  therefore, 
know  how  to  take  the  fox  by  his  weak  side,  and  they 
generally  succeed  in  keeping  him  at  a distance.  But 
they  must  be  continually  on  their  guard  to  avoid  being 
surprised  by  him.  If  the  fox  happens  to  discover  their 
barrel  of  saki,  woe  unto  those  who  drink  the  mixture 
which  he  leaves  for  them  ! Some  of  the  most  respec- 
table holy  men  have  thus  become  the  laughing-stock  of 
the  people  ; a few  cups  have  completely  turned  their 
heads.  Throwing  off  their  garments,  uttering  loud 
veils,  gesticulating  like  madmen,  thev  at  once  begin  to 
datice  in  the  wildest  manner.  Two  neighboring  foxes 
then  appear  and  join  in  the  dance,  one  of  them  keep- 
ing time  by  blowing  into  the  sacred  conch-shell,  while 
the  other  flourishes  the  sacred  sprinkler  of  the  poor 
possessed  priests.  The  countrymen  also  believe  that 
wdien  they  happen  to  fall  asleep  on  the  banks  of  the 
rice- fields,  they  often  fall  into  the  snares  of  Kitsn^, 
who  deprives  them  of  the  use  of  their  limbs  or  afflicts 
them  bodilv  in  other  wavs. 


234 


TEA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


The  Ja]>anese  literature,  )f  course,  abounds  with 
fabulous  stories  of  foxes.  The  hero,  Kitsn^,  is  not  only 
a sacred  personage  ; he  is  sometimes  wholly  grotesque, 
and  sometimes  diabolical.  The  common  people  have 
more  than  one  game  of  fox,  one  of  which  is  somewhat 
like  our  old  puzzle  of  fox,  goose,  and  corn. 

Tlie  family  picnics  of  the  people,  during  the  sum- 
mer, are  very  agreeable.  Generally  two  or  three  fam- 
ilies unite,  to  pass  an  evening  in  the  country,  either  on 
one  of  the  shady  hills  overlooking  the  bay,  or  among 
the  orchards  of  the  northern  suburbs,  whence  they 
have  a full  view  of  Fusi-yama.  The  porters  go  in  ad- 
vance to  the  place  designated,  and  there  inclose  an 
appropriate  space  by  means  of  screens  of  cotton  cloth, 
stretched  on  poles.  The  ground,  in  the  interior,  is 
covered  with  matting,  and  near  at  hand  are  temporary 
fire-places,  with  utensils  for  boiling  water  and  frying 
fish.  When  the  company  arrives,  the  ladies  at  once 
superintend  the  unpacking  of  the  provisions  and  the 
feast  commences.  Songs,  games,  and  instrumental 
music  enliven  the  occasion ; sometimes  professional 
singers  are  hired,  or  even  a pair  of  wandering  dancers, 
who  are  also  able  to  relate  stories  in  pantomime.  One 
of  their  most  graceful  performances  is  called  the  fan- 
dance,  — a kind  of  pantomime,  which  is  interpreted  by 
a young  girl  dressed  as  a page. 

I'here  are  also  national  dances,  in  which  the  mem- 
bers of  families  sometimes  indulge.  Ordinarily,  the 
ladies  dance  alone,  in  a kind  of  quadrille,  performing  a 
variety  of  graceful  movements  without  leaving  their 
places.  The  men  never  dance,  unless  in  a circle  of 
intimate  friends,  for  the  purpose  of  displaying  some 


SCENES  AROUND  YEDO. 


235 


extraordinary  grace  or  agility,  or  when  they  join  in  the 
rounds,  introduced  at  the  close  of  banquets.  In  the 
latter  case,  the  father  takes  his  youngest  son  on  his 
shoulders,  and  two  other  children  by  the  hands  ; the 
adults  follow,  each  independent  of  the  others  ; the  aged 
keep  time,  leaning  on  their  sticks,  while  the  nimblest 
leap  and  whirl  according  to  their  fancy,  all  circling 
around  the  table  from  which  they  have  arisen.  Some 
of  the  catches  and  refrains  which  they  sing  at  such 
times  are  very  ancient.  There  is  one  written  by  a 
poet  who  died  in  the  year  731,  and  who  thus  celebrates 
the  sweet  wine  of  Osacca  : — 

“ Tell  me  who  was  the  sage  who  declared  that  wine  is  a holy  thing. 

How  truly  he  spake  ! Is  there  aught  more  precious  in  the  world  ? 

If  I were  not  a man,  I would  fain  be  a barrel.” 

One  of  the  most  interesting  cemeteries  in  the  envi- 
1‘ons  of  Yedo  is  specially  consecrated  to  men  who  have 
distinguished  themselves  in  the  arts  and  sciences.  One 
also  frequently  sees,  in  the  open  country,  or  at  the  en- 
trance to  villages,  monuments  which  commemorate 
some  historic  event,  besides  the  chapels  dedicated  to 
heroes  of  the  time  of  lyeyas.  Buddhism  has  impressed 
its  stamp  upon  every  spot  which  can  in  any  manner 
attract  the  attention  of  the  people. 

“ It  has  been  said,”  M.  Humbert  writes,  “ that  the 
religion  of  the  Japanese  bonzes  has  been  a benefit  to 
the  people  ; that  it  has  protected  its  followers  from 
oppression  and  mitigated  the  sufferings  of  civil  wars. 
Certainly  it  has  favored  the  agricultural  development 
of  the  country,  taken  the  trees  and  forests  under  its 
protection,  and  increased  the  natural  beauties  of  Nipon. 
But,  whatever  may  be  said  in  its  praise,  the  day  wil’ 


236 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


come  when  it  can  only  have  a retrospective  value. 
When  the  age  of  feudal  barbarism  is  over,  the  monas- 
tic system  can  have  no  further  reason  for  existing,  and 
the  earth  will  belono;  to  Labor. 

“ In  the  present  condition  of  the  monasteries,  the 
impression  which  they  make  is  a singular  mixture  of 
admiration  and  melancholy.  When  I recall  those 
splendid  pictures  of  sunset  illuminating  the  orchards  in 
blossom,  the  clumps  of  bamboos,  a distant  port  of  the 
bay,  or  the  eternal  snow  of  the  great  mountain,  I can- 
not help  associating  with  them  the  monotonous  sound 
of  the  drums  in  the  monasteries,  and  the  painful  indi- 
gence of  the  poor  villagers.  The  works  of  man  under 
the  beautiful  sky  of  Nipon  form  a shocking  contrast  to 
the  works  of  God. 

“The  political  institutions  of  the  Empire  confine  the 
cultivators  of  the  soil  to  their  miserable  huts,  allow 
neither  the  mechanic  nor  even  the  rich  merchant  to 
live  outside  of  cities,  and  inclose  the  members  of  the 
privileged  castle  within  the  long  walls  of  their  for- 
tresses. But  the  religious  institutions  in  both  town  and 
country  have  erected  on  all  sides  the  walls  around 
their  monasteries  and  sepulchral  hills.  The  intermin- 
able buildings  which  make  the  capital  gloomy,  are  the 
frozen  signs  of  a superannuated  organization,  which  is 
condemned  to  die.  Our  cannons  have  not  breached 
its  walls.  They  are  crumbling  from  within,  where  the 
breath  of  the  spirit  of  the  age  has  already  peneti*ated.” 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


new-year’s  day  in  yedo. 

“ the  6tli  of  February,  1864,”  snys  M.  Hum- 
bert,  “the  New-Year’s  Eve  of  the  Japaivese 
year,  I came  to  Yedo  for  the  second  time.  The  ya- 
kounins  who  met  our  party,  allowed  us  to  arrange  an 
immediate  excursion  through  the  city,  for  the  purpose 
of  seeing  the  preparations  for  the  approaching  festiv'al. 
The  people  had  cleaned  their  dwellings  from  top  to 
bottom,  and  put  their  furniture  in  the  best  condition. 
The  side-walks  were  heaped  with  matting,  sci’eens, 
and  articles  of  lacquered  ware,  bronze,  and  porcelain, 
which  the  owners  hastened  to  restore  to  their  places. 
In  the  houses  of  the  rich,  this  labor  was  intrusted  to 
coolies,  who  performed  it  with  many  joyous  and  gro- 
tesque manifestations,  stumbling  over  footstools,  tum- 
bling  down  stairs,  or  tossing  in  a blanket  some  careless 
or  lazy  comrade. 

“ Others  persons  planted  on  each  side  of  their  doors 
young  pine  or  feathery  bamboo  trees,  which  they 
bound  together  at  the  top  with  garlands  of  rice  straw, 
ornamented  with  mandarin  oranges  and  strips  of  gilded 
paper.  They  also  hung  the  walls,  under  the  balconies 
and  j'oofs,  with  long  bands  of  straw,  interlaced  with 
fir-branches  and  ferns.  The  shops,  portals  of  the 
temples,  fountains,  and  booths  of  all  kinds,  were  sim- 
ilai'ly  ornamented. 


238 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ This  is  the  clay  wlien  the  c-ari)enters  raise  the 
frames  of  roofs,  and  mechanics  of  other  kinds  return 
work  to  tliose  who  have  ordered  it.  The  streets  are 
crowded  with  people  from  the  city  and  country.  The 
peasants  lead  their  horses  heavily  laden  witli  twigs  of 
bamboo  and  young  nr  trees,  while  their  wives  go  shop- 
ping. Visitors  from  the  provinces  arrive  in  troops, 
men  and  women  carrying  tlieir  baggage  on  the  back 
of  the  neck,  wrapped  in  oil  paper,  or  silk  from  oak 
leaves,  together  with  the  indis])ensable  umbrella.  Ev- 
erywhere, on  the  highways,  the  non-residents  compete 
with  the  keeper’s  of  stalls : those  who  sell  children’s 
toys  deafen  the  neigborhood  with  the  sound  of  their 
trumpets,  whistles,  and  tambourines.  The  venders  of 
masks  and  fans  ari’ange  them  in  fantastic  gi’oups.  The 
seller  of  little  red  lanterns  carries  a multitude  of  them 
tied  to  flexible  sticks,  balancing  them  in  the  air  several 
feet  above  his  head. 

“ The  most  curious  variety  of  characters  is  seen  in 
the  streets.  Four  dancing  priests  make  their  way 
along,  under  a broad  canopy  of  crape.  A grotesque 
figure,  with  a dragon’s  head,  dancing  and  Reaping  with 
wondei’ful  contortions,  and  accompanied  by-a  band  of 
music,  is  an  agent  of  the  journeyman  masons,  collecting 
funds  for  their  benevolent  society.  Among  those  who 
appear  in  the  streets,  clad  in  motley  garments,  with 
fantastic  head-dresses,  and  masks  with  birds’  beaks,  we 
distinguish  porters,  cooks,  and  valets,  in  an  appropriate 
disguise.  They  cover  the  head  with  a high  conical 
hat  of  green  paper,  which  almost  conceals  the  face, 
and  go  from  house  to  house  singing,  dancing,  and  col- 
lecting small  coins  for  a festival  fund.  All  the  tea- 


NEW-YEAR'S  DAY  IN  YEDO. 


239 


houses  are  open  to  them,  but  under  the  pretense  of 
sliowing  them  particular  honor,  the  ])roprietors  invite 
them  into  their  own  apartments,  and  thus  avoid  any 
unpleasant  meetings  of  servants  and  masters. 

“ Nevertheless,  the  last  days  of  the  year  are  far 
from  being  entirely  given  up  to  festivities.  The  thir- 
tieth day  of  the  twelfth  month  is  the  j)ainful  time  of 
settling  bills.  The  master  mechanic,  the  shop-keeper, 
the  head  of  a household,  in  short  every  man  with  debts 
or  credits  scours  the  city,  and  works  in  his  office,  \mlil 
all  his  accounts  are  carefully  regulated,  according  to 
the  rule,  universally  accepted  in  Japan,  that  no  one 
shall  commence  the  new  year  with  debts.  Not  until 
this  is  accomplished,  do  they  take  their  ease  in  the 
familiar  restaurant,  or  join  their  wives  and  children 
in  the  festive  preparations. 

“ Another  rule  is,  that  on  New-Year’s  Day  there 
must  be  flowers  in  every  house.  Most  of  the  people 
buy,  at  the  horticultural  establishments,  dwarf  peaches 
raised  in  j)ots  of  coarse  porcelain,  and  covered  with 
double  flowers.  The  Japanese  have  an  astonishing 
success  in  dwarfing  trees  and  plants,  by  allowing  them 
the  least  possible  quantity  of  soil,  water,  and  light. 
Such  is  their  liking  for  these  liliputian  productions,  that 
in  the  stores  for  children’s  playthings  there  are  micro- 
scopic imitations  of  dwarf  trees,  laden  with  flowers, 
made  of  cut  paper,  every  little  detail  being  exactly  re- 
produced. The  urns  of  wood  in  which  they  are  planted 
are  coated  with  glazed  paper,  which  can  hardly  be  dis- 
tinguished from  porcelain. 

“ The  baker’s  oven  also  plays  an  important  part  in 
the  innumei-able  preparations  for  the  festival.  It  is  a 


210 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


rij^id  rule  iu  all  families  that  their  shelves  should  dis- 
play an  ample  provision  of  bread  and  rice,  for  presents 
to  the  laborers  and  servants,  and  for  the  reciprocal 
gifts  made  by  relatives  and  neighbors.  In  all  the 
bakeries,  the  assistants,  naked  to  the  waist,  are  busy 
kneading,  feeding  the  ovens,  and  withdrawing  the 
loaves.  The  flour  is  kneaded  in  mortars  with  a pestle 
and  the  grains  of  rice  are  converted  into  flour  in  the 
same  utensil.  There  are  professional  rice-pounders, 
who  go  through  the  streets  from  house  to  house,  car- 
rying an  immense  pestle  on  their  shoulders,  and  rolling 
before  them,  like  a barrel,  a mortar  to  correspond. 

“ In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Nipon  bridge,  the 
clamors  of  the  crowd  indicate  the  situation  of  the  large 
establishments  where  rice  beer  is  brewed,  and  the 
docks  where  it  is  shipped,  by  thousands  of  barrels, 
on  vessels,  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  Hundreds  of 
coolies  fill  the  streets,  carrying  barrels  enveloped  in 
matting,  and  suspended  to  bamboo  poles.  Those  who 
buy  small  quantities  of  beer  carry  it  in  open  vessels, 
and  verily  at  great  risk  on  New-Yeai'’s  Eve  ; for  the 
crowd  increases,  rushing  from  all  quarters  to  the  last 
auction  of  saki,  and  the  best  saki  of  the  year ! Thou- 
sands of  buckets,  kegs,  and  porcelain  jars  are  piled  at 
the  corners  of  the  streets,  and  trusted  to  the  honesty 
of  the  public,  while  the  purchasers  hasten  to  the  great 
court-yards  of  the  breweries,  where  the  saki  is  sold  in 
lots,  large  and  small.  As  fast  as  sold  it  is  paid  for, 
emptied  into  the  purchaser’s  vessels,  and  carried  home. 

“ The  policemen,  ranged  at  short  intervals  along  the 
sidewalks,  endeavor  by  their  voices  and  gestures  to 
keep  the  crowds  in  order.  When  their  eloquence  has 


NEW-YEAR’S  DAY  IN  YE  DO. 


241 


been  exhausted  in  vain,  tliey  plunge  forwarl  three  or 
four  steps  and  use  their  fans  at  random  on  the  heads 
of  the  coolies  and  loafers  who  interrupt  the  circulation. 
Old  men,  girls,  mothers,  and  children  occupy  the  win- 
dows and  balconies  of  the  dwellings,  and  comfoitably 
enjoy  the  sight  of  the  tumult. 

“ Thev  are  not  satisfied  to  retire  until  they  have 
seen  the  procession  of  journeymeji  brewers.  The  lat- 
ter, after  receiving  their  wages  in  the  morning,  go  out 
and  celebrate  their  first  day  of  liberty  in  the  suburban 
gardens.  There  they  have  their  banquets  in  the  open 
air ; they  feast  on  lobsters,  fresh  cakes,  and  new  saki ; 
they  pass  around  and  em])ty  the  great  bowl  of  cere- 
mony. Then  succeed  all  sorts  of  wagers  and  trials  of 
strength  and  skill,  until  the  fatigued  foremen  stretch 
themselves  out  under  the  cedar  trees,  with  their  legs 
luxuriously  resting  on  the  backs  of  the  apprentices, 
while  others  moye  their  heels  in  liyely  dances.  In  the 
eyening,  young  and  old  return  to  the  city,  in  a body. 
Their  procession  is  a Hying  parody  of  those  of  the 
daimios,  or  princes.  The  herald-at-arms,  wearing  an 
osier  chicken-coop  as  a helmet,  brandishes  in  his  right 
hand  a dipper  of  saki,  and  pronounces  in  a hollow 
yoice  the  word  : “ Staniero  ! " (prostrate  yourselyes!  ) 
— the  prince  follows,  looking  like  a Silenus,  his  arms 
supported  by  two  followers.  His  convoy,  as  slightly 
clad  as  himself,  also  resemble  the  classic  bacchana- 
lians, except  that  instead  of  a thyrsus  they  carry  a 
long  wooden  sabre  in  the  girdle,  and  instead  of  a 
crown  of  vine-leaves  wear  a ridiculous  mitre  of  ]>aper. 

“ Such  are  the  diversions  with  which  the  redoubtable 
brewers  of  Yedo  terminate  their  year  of  labor.  Their 
16 


212 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


bacchic  procession  is  also  a public  honor  which  they 
render  to  the  sacred  family  of  the  inventors  of  saki. 
The  god,  the  goddess,  and  their  eight  sons,  collective 
patrons  of  the  guild,  are  supposed  to  haunt  the  shores 
of  the  ocean.  They  wear  a girdle  of  oak-leaves,  and 
their  long  red  hair  hangs  to  their  hips.  Sometimes 
tlioy  are  seen  at  sunset,  on  tlie  yellow  sands,  flourish- 
ing howls  and  dippers,  and  dancing  around  an  enor- 
mous jar  of  saki. 

“ During  the  whole  evening  the  sky  and  the  waters 
of  the  bay  reflected  the  ruddy  illumination  from  mill- 
ions of  lanterns.  The  streets,  squai’es,  and  market- 
places were  crowded,  and  it  was  impossible  for  a 
stranger  to  comprehend  the  ceremonies  which  w'cre 
being  performed  in  all  quarters.  In  the  southern  sub- 
urbs the  Tokaido  was  very  animated  and  bright;  but 
gloom  and  silence  began  to  fall  on  the  neighboring 
streets.  Here  and  there  a solitary  lamp  showed  where 
the  teacher  of  the  district  prepared  the  poems  which  he 
was  expected  to  send,  the  next  morning,  to  the  pai'ents 
of  his  scholars.  In  order  to  accomplish  his  task  w'ith 
the  better  chance  of  success,  he  places  before  his  desk 
a vase  of  flowers,  and  a dish  filled  with  rice  cakes,  — 
an  humble  offering  to  the  sun.  He  first  writes  his 
verses  on  a piece  of  red  paper ; but  at  the  dawn  of 
day,  they  wdll  be  copied  on  the  fans  w'hich  he  presents 
to  his  ])atrons. 

“ When  the  hour  of  midnight  approaches,  we  dis- 
tinguish all  at  once  the  glow  of  small  fires,  kindled  on 
the  floors  of  the  dwellings.  They  burn  with  a bright 
light  for  a few  minutes,  and  then  are  extinguished. 
This  is  an  exact  repetition  of  the  superstitious  charm 


NEW-YEAR'S  DAY  IN  YEDO. 


243 


wnich  is  often  tried  with  melted  lead,  in  Euro|.e,  on 
Christmas  Eve.  The  Ja[)anese,  during  the  last  hour 
of  the  year,  set  fire  to  a bunch  of  twigs,  sprinkled  with 
holy  water,  and  according  to  the  direction,  form,  or 
crackling  of  the  flame,  draw  their  horoscope  of  good 
or  bad  fortune  for  the  coming  year. 

‘•'I'liis  is  also  the  time  appointed  for  the  ceremony  of 
])ui  ification.  The  servants  of  the  temples  dedicated 
to  the  ancient  worship  kindle  great  bonfires  within  the 
sacred  precincts,  and  the  priests,  in  their  sacerdotal 
garments,  issue  in  procession  from  the  temples.  On 
reaching  the  top  of  the  staircase,  they  encounter  two 
frightful  demons,  armed  with  pitchforks,  which  threaten 
to  drive  them  back.  But,  thanks  to  the  sprinklers  of 
holy  water,  the  monsters  beat  a hasty  retreat,  while  the 
faithful  loudly  applaud  the  miracle. 

“ In  most  of  the  households,  the  evil  spirit  is  exor- 
cised at  the  same  hour.  It  is  the  exclusive  duty  of 
the  head  of  the  family.  Clothed  in  his  richest  war- 

%■  O 

merits,  with  the  sabre  in  his  gii'dle  (if  he  has  the  priv- 
ilege of  wearing  one),  he  passes  alone  at  midnight 
throuwh  the  rooms,  bearinw  in  his  left  hand  a box  of 
roasted  beans,  on  a lacquered  ti’ay.  With  his  right 
hand  he  scatters  the  beans  here  and  there,  uttering  in 
a loud  voice  a caballistic  invocation,  the  refrain  of  which 
is  : ‘ Avaunt,  Demons  ! Fortune,  enter  ! ’ 

“Everything  being  thus  pi'epared  for  the  inaugura- 
tion of  the  new  year,  the  inhabitants  of  the  capital 
allow  themselves  a little  rest;  but  at  sunrise  every  one 
is  awake  and  stirring.  Men,  women,  and  children  has- 
ten to  put  on  their  festival  garments,  and  the  first  con- 
gratulations are  exchanged  between  the  members  of 


244 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


families.  The  wife  places  upon  the  matting  of  the 
saloon  the  gifts  which  she  offers  to  her  husband.  As 
.soon  as  he  appears,  she  prostrates  herself  three  times 
before  him,  then  rising  to  her  knees  and  bending  her 
body  forward,  — not  a graceful  position,  but  required 
by  Japanese  custom,  — she  offers  him  the  com])liments 
of  the  season.  He  squats  down,  facing  her,  with  his 
arms  hanmno;  over  his  knees  until  the  ends  of  his  fin- 
gers  touch  the  floor,  inclining  his  head  as  if  to  listtn 
more  intently,  and  testifying  his  satisfaction,  from  time 
to  time,  by  singular  guttural  sounds,  long  sighs,  or 
subdued  whistling.  When  Madame  has  finished,  Mon- 
sieur formally  replies,  and  then  their  presents  are  sol- 
emnly exchanged.  The  children  come  next  in  turn, 
and  after  them  the  grandjiarents.  Then,  having  break- 
fasted together,  the  rest  of  the  forenoon  is  spent  in 
niakin<r  and  returning  visits. 

“ All  Japanese  belonging  to  the  intelligent  and  cul- 
tivated classes  of  society  are  thoroughly  instructed  in 
regard  to  all  which  good-breeding  rej^uires  of  them. 
No  one  ever  confounds  the  persons  to  whom  he  must 
present  himself  with  those  who  only  require  that  his 
card  should  be  left  at  their  doors.  Each  one  also  im- 
mediately distinguishes  between  the  cards  which  he 
should  leave  personally,  and  those  which  he  may  send 
to  their  address  by  the  hands  of  a servant.  The  cards, 
therefore,  vary  considerably  in  form  and  style  of  deco- 
ration, according  to  the  rank  of  those  who  shall  receive 
them.  They  are  sent  in  elegant  envelopes,  the  largest 
bound  by  a knot  of  ribbons,  and  the  porters  carry  them 
through  the  streets  on  elegant  lacquered  plates. 

“ The  public  buildings  and  the  palaces  of  the  da’imios 


NEW-YEAR'S  DAY  IN  YE  DO. 


245 


*xe  decorated,  on  New-Year’s  Day,  with  the  same  ina- 
terials  as  the  houses  of  the  citizens,  but  with  tliis  dif- 
ference, that  the  pines  and  bamboos,  bound  witli  gar- 
lands of  rice  straw,  form  a sort  of  triumphal  arch  in 
advance  of  the  entrance  to  the  edifice,  wliile  the  roofs 
and  walls  are  not  ornamented.  In  the  centre  of  the 
arch  is  suspended  a small  symbolic  troi)hy,  surrounded 
with  wreaths  of  fern.  This  trophy  usually  consists  of 
a cake  of  rice,  an  oi’ange,  and  a lobster  — a curious 
tribute  to  the  best  grain,  the  best  fruit,  and  the  best 
fish  I 

“ Such  uniform  decorations,  applied  to  the  palace  of 
the  Tycoons,  have  a character  of  noble  simplicity, 
which  accords  well  with  the  style  of  architecture. 
But  the  quarters  inhabited  by  the  daimios,  taken  in 
their  whole  e.xtent,  are  less  attractiv^e  than  ever,  on 
New-Year’s  Day.  We  hasten  to  leave  these  clusters 
of  barracks,  prisons,  and  foi-tresses,  this  conventional 
w’orld.  governed  by  etiquette  and  duplicity,  this  cradle 
of  implacable  hatreds  and  sinister  conspiracies,  and  re- 
turn to  the  peo|)le  and  the  manifestations  of  their  inex- 
haustible youth  and  cheerfulness. 

“ What  a contrast  between  the  castle  and  its  sur- 
roundings, and  the  streets  of  the  city ! The  latter  are 
announced  at  a distance  by  a joyous  clamor,  to  which 
there  is  added  a confused  mingling  of  sounds  like  those 
of  an  aeolian  harp.  This  mysterious  music  proceeds 
from  a multitude  of  paper  kites,  which  fill  the  air  over 
the  city.  They  are  in  grotesque  human  forms,  or 
cranes,  parrots,  and  dragons,  heads  of  warriors,  or  beau- 
tiful dames  of  the  heroic  times.  A fine  slip  of  bamboo, 
stretched  across  the  frame  of  the  kite,  gives  the  musical 


246 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


sound.  Sometimes  the  threads  are  covered  with  a 
coating  of  ground  glass,  and  those  who  fly  the  kites 
eno;ao;e  in  an  amusino-  combat,  each  endeavoring  to  saw 
off  the  adversary’s  string.  Young  jieople  of  marriage- 
able age  take  part  in  this  game,  and  the  crowds  in  the 
streets  always  applaud  enthusiastically  whenever  a 
maiden  succeeds  in  brin^inof  to  earth  a vounor  man’s 
kite. 

“ On  every  side,  the  children  have  taken  possession 
of  the  middle  of  the  streets,  for  their  games.  Hoops, 
stilts,  and  tops  are  passed  in  succession  from  the  hands 
of  the  little  boys  Lo  those  of  their  elder  brothers  or 
their  fathers.  There  is  a great  variety  of  tops;  those 
capable  of  the  most  capricious  and  prolonged  revolu- 
tions are  of  cylindrical  form,  having  a ballast  in  the 
inside  which  assures  their  equilibrium.  The  game  of 
battledoor  is  a great  favorite  with  girls  and  young  mar- 
ried women.  The  shuttlecocks  enter  as  largelv  into 
the  crifts  of  the  season,  as  fans.  Thev  are  made  of 
white  wood,  decorated  wdth  the  painter’s  pencil.  The 
shop-keepers  of  Yedo  offer  to  their  customers,  as  a 
gift,  the  choice  of  either  a fan,  a pair  of  shuttlecocks, 
or  a porcelain  cup.  Purchasers,  ou  this  day,  patron- 
ize only  the  sellers  of  sweetmeats,  pastry,  or  children’s 
toys. 

“ There  are,  however,  a number  of  peripatetic  mer- 
chants, some  of  whom  sino;  and  dance  in  order  to  call 
attention  to  their  wares.  Others  sell  birds  of  papier- 
mach4,  balancing  themselves  on  twigs  of  weeping  wil- 
low, and  artificial  fish,  attached  to  a reed.  At  the  Fes- 
tival of  Banners,  in  May,  a huge  paper  fish  is  elevated 
over  the  roof  of  everv  house  wherein  a boy  has  been 
born  during  the  preceding  twelve  months. 


NEW-YEAR'S  DAY  IN  YEDO. 


247 


“ Finally,  among  the  articles  peculiar  to  New-Year’s 
Day  in  Yedo,  there  are  eo[crs  colored  like  our  Easter 
eggs,  bows  and  quivers  of  arrows  adorned  with  fir 
branches,  and  very  beantiful  dolls  representing  a citizen 
in  festival  costume,  walking  under  his  umbrella,  with  a 
fox-headed  wife,  or  a peasant  with  his  agricultural  im- 
plements. A special  foT-m  of  industry  is  carried  on  by 
the  servants  of  the  monasteries,  who,  wearing  gro- 
tesque masks,  offer  slips  of  holy  paper  to  be  pasted,  as 
talismans,  over  the  doors  of  dwellino:s.  Their  comical 
disguise,  which  is  very  popular  among  tlie  cliildren,  as- 
sures them  a good  business. 

“ Nearly  all  the  masks  and  travesties  so  fiishiona- 
ble  on  this  day  have  no  other  purpose,  in  fact,  but  to 
amuse  the  children.  The  latter,  themselves,  wear  mi- 
tres of  ceremony  resembling  those  of  the  great  dai- 
mios ; they  hang  themselves  with  brilliant  trapiungs 
and  mount  as  horsemen  on  the  backs  of  their  oblitrinor 
brothers,  while  an  adult  member  of  the  family  gallops 
before  them  as  a Tartar,  blowing  his  trumpet,  with  a 
pasteboard  horn  and  false  rider’s  legs,  as  in  some  of  our 
farces. 

“ Shall  I speak  of  the  curiosities  displayed  In  the 
public  squares?  — of  the  puppet  theatres,  the  exhibi- 
tions of  magic,  the  drilled  monkeys,  the  industrial  mice, 
the  intelligent  rabbits  ? The  mouse-trainer  puts  half  a 
dozen  of  the  little  animals  into  a trellised  inclosure, 
where  they  pound  rice  with  little  pestles  ; he  takes  the 
best  drilled  and  hides  it  in  the  folds  of  his  kirimon, 
then,  turning  to  a table  surmounted  by  a little  temple 
to  which  conducts  a long  staircase,  he  places  a box  be- 
fore the  altar  and  :n  the  box  a piece  of  money,  inviting 


248 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  spectators  to  bet  heads  or  tails.  When  they  liave 
done  so,  tlie  mouse  comes  forth,  descends  his  master's 
arm  to  tlie  table,  mounts  the  steps  to  the  temple,  opens 
the  box,  takes  in  his  teeth  the  piece  of  money  and  lays 
it  in  his  master’s  hand. 

“The  magician  sells  kaleidoscopes  and  colored  glasses. 
To  attract  tlie  crowd,  he  exhibits,  in  his  booth,  a heavy 
stone,  clinging  fast  to  a paper  fan,  suspended  from  the 
ceiling;  a bowl  full  of  water,  in  wliicli  floats  an  up- 
right dagger,  poised  on  a lily  leaf ; or  four  eggs  resting, 
one  upon  the  other,  and  supporting  a vase  of  flowers. 
He  also  exhibits  marvelous  automatic  figures ; and 
then,  taking  a jav'elin  in  both  hands  he  impales  at  ran- 
dom one  of  the  numbered  pasteboard  cards  scattered  at 
his  feet,  the  number  indicating  that  of  a prophetic 
page,  whereon  the  purchaser  may  read  his  destiny. 

“ In  all  the  lively  circles  of  spectators  who  surround 
these  spoi'ts  and  exhibitions,  the  first  and  the  best  place 
is  reserved  for  the  children.  We  see  in  the  markets 
and  streets,  as  well  as  around  the  domestic  hearth,  the 
predominant  desire  of  the  laboring,  manufacturing,  and 
commercial  classes  to  make  the  first  day  of  the  year  a 
genuine  festival  of  childhood,  wherein  fathers  and 
mothers  have  the  first  right.  It  is  thus,  apart  from  its 
religious  signification,  very  similar  to  our  celebration  of 
Christmas  Eve,  at  least  as  the  latter  is  kept  in  Protes- 
tant Germany  and  Switzerland.” 


JAPANESE  FEATS  AT  BALANCING. 
(See  page  207.) 


■ i>‘ 

' • I 

r. 


if00r'-  ■ 

Jir  4pf^  m$i^ 

..  .-j^,  j^Ti^ln'  II  >*.4  if*tn  sm 

^ _ _--.iK:_  i«m<**:^5lrio»'^^^|d|-;9«fX  ’ ’„ 

C.1MI  • r » W ai«irt^  -ejV  4t«i|ci*  nii* 

0*-^W-.*  t; 

*ii*r»  :i!b- n r i ^ [ 

‘,^*^1^ 1^.  f .•^7'".'**»:s9if“t'Ji.i  ’A-^-^'/O^--  r 

-?%,;  '*''**  •■-'^'^  , 
:-,'V  '^,  ^ 5-  3«S  ^ /ji.  , 

, . . ■ ^ :i^^,  - ■ 

i -''  If  i 

!2t  ■ ^ .'•‘.'^  >1^  •.<_  '*'  '-^* 

• 

. ..  .•  - wtf'  X'  '•^•T-  •.fl^''%<S3^--*';;j 

r - •"‘"  r-*^J 


tM 


, • '1  r-!*4f 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


THE  JAPANESE  AND  THKIR  MYTHOLOGY. 

HE  Japanese  peo|)le  offer  more  than  one  problem 


to  the  ethnolojiist  as  well  as  to  tlie  liistorian. 
Many  points  will  undoubtedly  yet  be  made  clear,  as 
our  chances  for  more  thorough  research  increase  ; but 
at  present  the  foundation  of  the  Empire,  the  origin  of 
the  race,  are  involved  in  equal  ohscurity. 

The  first  and  most  natural  sup]  osition  would  be  that 
the  archipelago  of  Japan  must  have  been  peopled  by  a 
Tartar  emigration.  There  is  evidence  of  very  ancient 
relations  between  Corea,  Japan,  the  Kurile  Islands, 
and  even  Kamtschatka  ; for  that  chain  of  islands  which 
extends  northward,  and  then  eastward  to  the  American 
peninsula  of  Alaska,  across  the  Pacific  Ocean,  resem- 
bles the  dismantled  piers  of  a gigantic  bridge,  and  sug- 
gests the  idea  of  a migration  which  must  have  been 
possible,  even  with  the  most  primitive  forms  of  naviga- 
tion. But  in  tracing  back  the  historical  traditions  of 
the  Japanese  towards  their  origin,  we  meet  with  no 
nomadic  and  conquering  hordes,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
with  peaceable  tribes  of  hunters  and  fishers,  under  the 
name  of  “ Ai'nos,”  a native  expression  which  signifies 
“ men,”  scattered  along  the  shores  and  over  the  islands 
of  the  North  Pacific. 

These  Ainos  have  not  the  oblique  eyes,  the  high 


250 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


cheek-bones,  or  the  scatteriiifi  beards  of  the  Monorol 
race  : they  are  a short,  tliick-set  people,  with  larije, 
round  lieads,  and  are  specially  distinguished  by  the  re- 
markable thickness  of  the  hairy  growth  which  covers 
their  skins.  They  seem  to  have  been  contemporaries 
of  the  extinct  cave-bears.  The  few  men  of  science 
who  have  examined  them  in  Yeso  and  on  tlie  Kurile 
Islands,  ai’e  of  the  opinion  that  they  form  a branch  of 
the  great  Aryan  (or  Caucasian)  family  — probab.y 
the  only  branch  which  has  been  separated  and  pushed 
aside  in  the  mov^ements  of  other  races. 

Even  as  the  Celtic  blood  gradually  disappears  from 
certain  counties  of  England  where  it  was  once  predom- 
inant, the  Ainos  are  losing  the  ground  which  they  orig- 
inally occupied  in  the  islands  of  Yeso,  Saghalien,  and 
the  Kuriles.  They  have  so  diminished,  that  their  num- 
bers, at  present,  do  not  amount  to  more  than  twelve 
thousand.  Nevertheless,  their  history  is  held  in  rever- 
ence by  the  Japanese  people.  To  this  day,  at  their 
most  sumptuous  banquets,  the  custom  is  to  serve  a 
course  of  the  commonest  shell-fish,  which  is  said  to 
have  been  the  primitive  food  of  the  Ainos,  as  a sou- 
venir of  the  ancestry  of  the  highest  Japanese  families. 

The  Ai'nos  are  never  spoken  of  otherwise  than  re- 
spectfully. The  equivalent  of  the  term  “ barbarian  ” 
in  the  mouths  of  the  Greeks  is  found  also  in  the  Japan- 
ese language,  but  the  woi’d  is  Yebis  and  not  Ainos, 
This,  however,  brings  us  to  another  puzzling  question  ; 
for  if  the  Yebis,  with  whom  the  founders  of  the  Empire 
waged  war,  were  not  the  primitive  Aino  population, 
who  could  they  have  been  ? And,  on  the  other  hand, 
if  the  Japanese  are  descended  from  an  Aino  ancestry, 


THE  JAPASESE  AND  THEIR  MYTHOLOGY.  251 


how  is  it  that  a portion  of  their  race,  instead  of  shar- 
ing in  their  development,  have  remained  in  the  same 
savage  condition  as  two  or  three  thousand  years  ago  ? 
The  study  of  the  language  will  probably  enlighten  us 
on  these  points,  in  the  course  of  time. 

The  cosmogony  and  early  mythological  system  of 
the  Japanese  are  somewhat  mi.ved  with  those  of  the 
Cliinese,  but  the  two  elements  can  be  readily  separated. 
The  Chinese  jihilosophers,  for  example,  imagine  a 
primitive,  eternal  substance,  which  they  call  Tai-khit, 
and  which  contains  the  germs  of  everything  that  exists, 
divided  into  two  classes,  the  Yang  and  the  Yin.  Tlie 
Yang  is  the  active,  masculine  principle,  or  primitive 
force : the  Yin  is  the  passive,  feminine  principle,  or 
primitive  matter,  — and  all  things  in  the  universe  are 
the  result  of  a combination  of  the  two. 

The  Japanese  tlieory,  on  the  other  hand,  supposes  a 
succession  of  immeasurable  periods  of  time,  during 
which  the  creation  of  the  world  was  accomplished  in 
the  following  order:  — 

During  the  chaotic  period,  a divine  Trinity  began 
the  work  of  creation,  and  separated  the  earth  from  the 
heavens. 

In  the  second  period,  a series  of  seven  celestial  dynas- 
ties symbolizes  the  formation  of  the  different  elements. 

Then,  all  the  elements  having  been  prepared,  the 
definite  creation  of  the  world  was  brought  about  by  tlu' 
action  of  the  last  pair  of  celestial  deities,  the  spiritual 
combination  of  whose  attributes  produced  Japan,  while 
from  the  deities  themselves  descended  five  generations 
of  earthly  deities,  the  last  of  whom  was  Zinmou-ten- 
woo,  the  founder  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Mikados. 


2o2 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


In  the  simpler  form,  whioh  is  familiar  to  the  people, 
there  are  man’’  curious  vietails  of  the  creation.  What 
may  be  called  the  “ Genesis  ” of  the  Japanese  Bible 
commences  as  follows  : — 

“ In  the  becrinninCT  there  was  neither  heaven  nor 

O o 

earth. 

“ The  elements  of  all  things  formed  a liquid  and 
’ troubled  mass,  similar  to  the  contents  of  an  unde- 
veloped egg,  in  which  the  white  and  the  yellow  are 
still  mingled  together. 

“ Out  of  the  infinite  space  which  this  chaos  filled,  8 
god  arose,  called  the  divine  Supreme  Being,  whose 
throne  is  in  the  centre  of  heaven. 

“■  Then  came  the  divine  Creator,  exalted  above  the 
creation ; finally  the  divine  Creator  who  is  the  sublime 
Spirit. 

“ Each  one  of  these  three  primitive  gods  had  his  own 
existence,  but  they  were  not  yet  revealed  beyond  their 
spiritual  natures. 

“ Then,  by  degrees  the  work  of  separation  went  on 
in  chaos. 

“ The  finest  atoms,  moving  in  different  directions, 
formed  the  heavens. 

“ The  grosser  atoms,  attaching  themselves  to  eaci 
other,  and  adhering,  produced  the  earth. 

“ The  former,  tnoving  rapidly,  constructed  the  vault 
of  the  firmament  which  arches  above  our  heads  : the 
latter,  being  slowly  drawn  together  in  a solid  body,  did 
not  form  the  earth  until  at  a much  later  period. 

“ When  the  earthly  matter  still  floated  as  a fish  that 
comes  to  the  surface  of  the  waters,  or  as  the  image  of 
the  moon  that  trembles  on  a limpid  lake,  there  ap- 


rHE  JAPANESE  AND  THEIR  MYTHOLOGY.  253 


peared  between  the  heavens  and  the  eartli  something 
similar  to  a piece  of  reed,  endowed  with  movement  and 
capable  of  transformation.  It  was  changed  into  three 
gods,  which  are  : the  August  One,  reigniiiir  perpet- 
ually over  the  Empire  ; he  who  reigns  by  virtue  of 
water ; and  he  who  reigns  by  virtue  of  fire. 

“ All  three  were  of  the  male  sex,  because  they  owed 
their  origin  to  the  action  of  the  Divine  reason,  alone. 

O 

“ After  the  three  first  males,  there  came  three  pairs 
of  gods  and  (joddesses,  reiijninif  over  the  elements  of 
wood,  metal,  and  earth. 

“ This  second  dynasty  contained  as  many  goddesses 
as  gods,  because  the  terrestrial  united  equally  with  the 
celestial  reason  in  producing  them.  The  first  of  the 
seven  gods  commenced  the  creation  of  the  earth,  and 
all  together  personify  the  elements  of  the  creation. 

“ The  era  of  the  celestial  grods,  commencino-  with  the 
first  and  terminating  with  the  last  male  and  female  pair, 
who  were  called  Izanaghi  and  Izanami,  continued  for 
millions  on  millions  of  years.” 

But  the  world,  and,  most  important  of  all,  the  Empire 
of  Japan,  was  not  yet  created.  The  account  given, 
therefore,  is  very  circumstantial.  One  day,  when  the 
god  and  goddess  were  sitting  together  on  the  arch  of 
the  sky,  they  happened  to  talk  of  the  possibility  of  there 
being  an  inferior  world.  “ Let  us  see,”  said  Izanaghi 
to  his  goddess,  “ whether  there  is  not  a world  buried 
under  those  waters  which  we  see  below  us.”  There- 
upon he  plunged  down  his  diamond-pointed  javelin  and 
stiiTed  about  with  it  in  all  directions.  As  he  withdrew 
it  some  drops  of  salt  water  fell  from  the  diamond  point, 
and,  condensing  in  their  fall,  formed  the  island  which 


254 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


is  called  Ono-koro-sima.  The  pair  then  descended 
upon  this  island,  and  determined  to  make  it  the  begin- 
ning of  a grand  archipelago,  to  be  created  by  the  united 
labors  of  both. 

Tliey  first  separated,  one  turning  to  the  right  and 
the  other  to  the  left,  and  made  tlie  circuit  of  the  island. 
When  they  met,  the  goddess,  transported  with  joy, 
cried  out:  “How  happy  I am  to  see  you  again,  my 
dear  and  amiable  spouse  ! ” But  the  god,  annoyed  be- 
cause she  liad  anticipated  him,  rejdied  : “ My  position 
as  your  Imsband  gives  me  the  right  to  speak  first ; why 
do  you  usurp  it?  your  haste  is  of  bad  omen,  and  in 
order  to  avoid  its  consequences,  we  must  begin  our  cir- 
cuit again.” 

The  second  time,  he  spoke  first,  crying  out,  as  soon 
as  he  perceived  the  goddess : “ How  ha[)py  I am  to  see 
you  again,  my  dear  and  amiable  spouse  ! ” From  this 
time  forth,  nothing  interrupted  them  in  the  work  of 
creation,  which  was  accomplished  in  the  following  or- 
der : Izanaghi  raised  from  out  the  waters  the  island 
of  Aw’adzi,  then  the  mountainous  Oho-yamato,  rich  in 
fruits  and  with  fine  harbors ; then  the  others  in  succes- 
sion, until  the  Empire  of  the  eight  great  islands  was 
completed.  The  smaller  islands  were  then  made,  six 
in  number  ; and  the  islets  scattered  here  and  there 
formed  themselves  afterwards,  from  the  mixture  of  the 
sea-foam  and  the  deposits  of  the  rivers. 

The  country  thus  created  being  desert  and  uninhab- 
itable, Izanaghi  called  into  life  eight  millions  of  genii, 
who  descended  all  at  once  on  the  archipelago  and  pro- 
duced an  abundance  of  vegetation.  Beside  these,  he 
created  the  ten  thousand  things,  out  of  which  have 
come  everything  that  can  be  found  on  the  earth. 


THE  JAPANESE  AND  THEIR  MYTHOLOGY.  255 


On  hei’  part,  the  goddess  Izanami  cieated  tlie  genii 
of  mines,  of  water,  of  aquatic  plants,  of  alluvial  soil,  and 
of  fire.  When  the  work  was  done,  the  pair  made  their 
liabitation  there,  and  became  the  progenitors  of  the  five 
dynasties  of  terrestrial  deities,  from  whom,  after  another 
immeasurable  lapse  of  time,  are  descended  the  races  of 
men.  Their  oldest  danjxhter,  the  wddess  of  the  sun, 
is  still  ailored  in  Japan,  even  by  the  rationalistic  sects. 

The  vouimest  son  of  the  last  terrestrial  jjod  of  the 
fifth  dynasty  subjected  all  the  adjacent  islands  to  his 
sovereignty,  at  the  age  of  forty-five,  and  united  them 
in  a single  empire.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  dynasty 
of  the  Mikados,  and  is  likewise  worshipped  at  this  day 
under  the  name  of  “ the  glorified  ruler  of  the  heavens.” 
The  date  of  his  accession  to  the  imperial  rule,  as  given 
by  the  Japanese  historians,  corresponds  to  the  year 
660  before  the  Christian  era.  This  is  the  point  where 
their  human  history  commences,  although,  for  many 
centuries  later,  it  retains  a fabulous  character.  The 
very  circumstance  that  the  Japanese  cite  their  early 
mythology  as  an  evidence  that  they  are  not  related  to 
the  Chinese,  or  any  other  neighboring  people,  seems  to 
indicate  that  portions  of  it  may  have  been  invented  for 
that  special  purpose. 

Nevertheless,  it  seems  very  probable  that  the  civili- 
zation of  the  Japanese,  in  its  essential  characteristics, 
had  an  independent  origin,  and  that  its  earliest  seat  was 
in  the  central  part  of  the  great  island  of  Nipon,  near 
wliere  the  cities  of  IMiako  and  Osacca  now  stand.  The 
worship  of  the  Kamis,  or  ancestral  demi-gods  (which 
must  not  be  confounded  with  the  reverence  paid  in 
China  to  the  ancestors  of  families)  existed  in  Japan  as 
long  ago  as  tradition  reaches,  and  it  possesses  some 


256 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


features  which  are  found  in  the  reliorious  observances 

O 

of  no  other  race.  Tliere  are  chapels  dedicated  to  the 
several  kamis  in  all  parts  of  the  empire  ; but  they  are 
most  numerous  and  celebrated  in  the  southern  islands. 

These  chapels  are  called  Mian.  They  are  always 
built  in  the  most  picturesque  localities,  and  especially 
where  there  is  a grove  of  high  trees.  Sometimes  a 
s))lendid  avenue  of  pines  or  cedars  conducts  to  the  sa- 
cred place,  which  is  always  approached  through  one  or 
more  detached  portals,  called  iorr's,  like  the  pylse  of  the 
Egyptian  teni])les.  The  chapel  is  usually  set  upon  a 
hill,  natural  or  artificial,  buttressed  wfith  Cyclopean 
w'alls,  and  with  a massive  stone  stairway  leading  to  the 
top.  At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  there  is  a small  building 
containing  a tank  of  water  for  ablutions. 

Tlie  chapel  itself  is  usually  small,  and  very  sim- 
ple in  its  j)lan,  much  resembling  the  native  dwell- 
ing-house. Three  sides  are  closed,  and  one  is  open  to 
sun  and  air.  The  wood-work  is  ke])t  scrupulously 
clean,  and  the  floor  is  covered  wfith  the  finest  matting. 
The  altar,  wdiich  stands  alone  in  the  centre,  is  orna- 
mented with  a plain  disk  of  metal,  but  no  statues  or 
symbolical  figures  are  to  be  seen,  and  very  rarely  em- 
blems of  any  kind.  Nevertheless,  there  are  sometimes 
stationed,  at  the  head  of  the  staircase,  outside  of  the 
chapel,  sitting  figures  resembling  dogs  and  unicorns, 
w'hich  are  said  to  represent  the  elements  of  water  and 
fire.  The  interior  is  generally  hung  wfith  strips  or  rib- 
bons of  colored  paper,  the  exact  significance  of  which 
is  not  yet  clearly  understood. 

The  chapels  are  also  ornamented,  by  their  pious 
votaries,  with  colored  lanterns,  vases  of  perfume,  and 
of  flowers  or  evei’green  branches,  which  are  renew^ed 


THE  JAPANESE  AND  THEIR  MYTHOLOGY.  257 


as  fast  as  tliey  witlier.  At  the  foot  of  tlie  altar  there 
is  a heavy  chest  witli  a metal  grating,  through  which 
full  the  pieces  of  money  contributed : it  is  hardly  nec- 
essary to  say  tliat  tlie  jiriest  carries  a key  to  the  box  ! 

These  7nias  were  originally  commemorative  chapels, 
erected  in  honor  of  Japanese  heroes,  like  that  of  Tell, 
by  the  Lake  of  the  Four  Forest  Cantons.  The  prince 
of  the  province  winch  had  given  birth  to  the  hero,  or 
where  his  deeds  had  been  performed,  took  upon  him- 
self the  charge  of  keeping  the  chapel  in  repair  ; there 
was  no  priest  to  olficiate  at  the  altar  of  the  kami.,  no 
j)rivileged  caste  interposed  between  the  adorer  and  the 
object  of  his  worship.  The  act  of  adoration,  in  fact, 
perfonned  before  the  mirror  (representing  that  be- 
queathed by  the  goddess  Izanami  to  her  children), 
})assed  beyond  the  guardian  spirit  of  the  chapel,  and 
reached  the  supreme  god  above  him.  The  chaj)el, 
therefore,  was  open  to  all,  the  worship  was  voluntary, 
and  offered  as  the  individual  might  choose,  no  ceremo- 
nial being  prescribed. 

With  the  introduction  of  Buddhism,  however,  an 
important  change  took  place.  Tlie  new  faith  was  suf- 
ficiently incorporated  with  the  old  to  transfer  the 
chajiels  to  the  special  charge  of  priests,  and  to  in- 
troduce, in  place  of  the  voluntary,  formless  worship  of 
the  people,  a system  of  processions,  litanies,  offerings, 
and  even  of  miracle-workine;  imao-es.  Indeed,  almost 
the  only  difference  between  this  system  and  the  wor- 
ship of  the  saints  in  Catholic  countries,  lies  in  the  cir- 
cumstance that  the  priests  who  officiate  only  put  on 
their  surplices  for  the  occasion,  and  become  secular 
again  when  they  leave  the  chapel. 

“ 17 


CHAPTER  XXVn. 


IHE  LITERARY  AGE  OF  JAPAN. 

M HUM  BERT  has  compiled  a very  interesting 
• chapter  on  the  introduction  of  literature,  as  an 
adjunct  of  civilization,  among  the  Japanese,  and  the 
characteristics  of  what  the  natives  look  back  upon  as 
its  classic  atje. 

The  illustrious  Emperor  Shi-hoang-ti,  who  occupied 
the  throne  of  China  from  246  to  209  before  the  Chris- 
tian era,  after  securing  his  own  power,  cast  envious 
glances  on  the  islands  of  Japan.  It  was  not  a new 
increase  of  territory  which  he  sought ; he  had  pushed 
the  frontiers  of  the  Celestial  Empire  to  their  extreme 
limits,  and  was  about  protecting  them  forever  from  in- 
vasion by  building  the  great  wall  which  testifies,  at  this 
day,  to  the  character  of  his  reign.  There  was  no 
longer  a class  of  feudal  nobles  : between  the  Impei'ial 
power  and  the  people,  between  the  Son  of  Heaven  and 
the  hundreds  of  millions  of  his  subjects,  there  was 
nothing.  Even  the  opposition  of  the  literary  class  was 
broken,  the  books  of  the  philosophei’s  having  been  re 
duced  to  ashes. 

Nevertheless,  the  ambition  of  Shi-hoaUg-ti  was  not 
satisfied.  Satiated  with  glory  and  conquest,  he  was  de- 
voured with  the  thirst  for  immortal  life.  Having  been 
told  that  on  the  summit  of  a mountain  of  Nipon,  there 


THE  LITERARY  AGE  OF  JAPAN. 


259 


was  a plant,  the  rojt  of  which  had  the  power  of  pro- 
loncriiif;  human  life,  he  sent  one  of  his  favorite  minis- 
ters,  the  pnident  Sjofoo,  to  Japan,  in  order  to  procure 
a suppl  V of  it. 

The  imperial  emissary  visited  all  the  shores  of  the 
Inner  Sea,  without  finding  the  object  of  his  search. 
He  finally  established  himself,  with  his  followers,  on  the 
island  of  Nipon,  abandoning  his  master  to  the  universal 
human  destiny.  Neither  he  nor  his  companions  ever 
returned  to  their  homes.  Through  them  the  Japanese 
received  their  first  accounts  of  China.  The  Mikado, 
however,  was  curious  to  learn  something  more  than  the 
information  which  reached  him  in  this  way.  He  there- 
upon sent  an  ambassador  to  the  ruler  of  the  Celestial 
Empire,  to  beg  of  him  a copy  of  the  annals  of  his 
court.  His  request  was  not  only  granted,  but  the  Em- 
peror sent  some  literary  men  with  the  volumes,  to 
translate  and  interpret  them.  The  Chinese  language 
was  soon  taught  in  iNIiako,  the  relations  between  the 
two  sovereigns  became  more  intimate,  and  it  was  soon 
fashionable  at  the  court  of  the  Mikado  to  make  use  of 
the  Chinese  characters  for  the  noble  and  lapidary 
styles,  as  well  as  to  quote  passages  from  the  classics  and 
to  compose  lyric  poems  in  the  manner  of  those  of  the 
Flowerv  Kincrdom. 

k O 

China  thus  exercised  upon  Japan  a literary  influence 
which  may  be  roughly  compared  with  that  of  the  Hel- 
lenic culture  upon  Europe.  When  the  heroic  Japanese 
Empress  Zingou  conquered  Corea,  she  brought  away  a 
great  collection  of  Chinese  literary  works,  books  of  the 
Buddhist  writers,  treatises  on  medicine,  and  new  in- 
struments of  music.  These  were  considered  the  most 
precious  trophies  of  the  expedition. 


260 


TRAVELS  IN  JAR  AN. 


Their  admiration  for  the  arts  and  letters  of  China^ 
however,  never  led  the  Japanese  to  esteem  the  Chinese 
people  very  highly.  They  continued  to  import  teach- 
ers of  the  language,  of  music,  morals,  and  |)hilosophy  ; 
but  the  latter  occupied  a position  among  them,  some- 
what like  that  of  ihe  Greek  Sophists  among  the  old 
Komans.  The  studious,  pacific,  and  mercantile  charac- 
ter of  the  men  of  Nanking  was  rather  a subject  for 
contempt  with  the  chivalrous  and  warlike  Niponese. 

Thus  the  Japanese  literature,  although  developed 
under  the  influence  of  Chinese  models,  succeeded  in 
preserving  a certain  originality.  Nevertheless,  as  it 
was  imprisoned  at  the  court  of  Miako  in  the  forms  of  a 
conventional  society,  it  was  obliged  to  move  incessantly 
in  the  round  of  prescribed  subjects,  and  to  seek  a per- 
fection of  style  in  the  strict  observance  of  academic 
rules.  The  authors  composed  terse  distiches,  as  labo- 
riously produced  as  the  dwai’f  trees  ; they  attempted  to 
describe  the  ocean  in  a couplet. 

The  native  engravers  have  preserved  for  us  the  fea- 
tures of  the  writers  who  excelled  in  this  species  of  per- 
formances. Their  portraits  are  always  accompanied 
with  the  subjects  of  their  poetic  masterpieces.  He  who 
sang  of  the  sea  is  invariably  represented  as  squatting 
on  the  sand ; another  is  lost  in  the  contemplation  of  a 
fleur-de-lis ; a third  has  a branch  of  peach-blossoms  ; 
and  there  are  poets  of  rice,  of  the  butterfly,  of  the 
maple-tree,  of  the  crane,  the  moon,  and  oysters ! W e 
even  meet  with  a young  gentleman  who  has  been  car- 
ried down  to  posterity  by  a solecism.  His  father,  eager 
to  avenge  the  honor  of  his  family  in  regard  to  purity 
of  style,  is  drawn  as  beating  over  the  head  with  a 
cushion  the  penitent  son,  who  kneels  before  him. 


THE  LITERARY  AGE  OF  JAPAN. 


2G1 


There  are  some  localities  which  are  specially  famous 
m the  annals  of  Japanese  poetry,  such  as  Mount  Kamo, 
where  the  . great  Sjoo-inei  composed  his  book  of  odes 
beside  a torrent,  listening  to  tlie  grasshoppers  ; and, 
near  Yedo,  the  monastery  of  Kossei,  where  the  prince 
of  Odawara  found  refuge  on  a stormy  niglit,  and,  on 
leaving  the  next  morning,  gave  the  prior  a poem  in- 
spired by  his  adventure,  — which  poem  made  the  for- 
tune of  the  monastery. 

The  literary  intercourse  with  China  continued  for 
centuries.  The  growth  of  the  Japanese  in  literary 
tiiste  and  in  elegance  of  style  was  recognized  by  their 
neighbors,  and  in  A.  D.  815  the  Chinese  contempoi’ary 
of  Charlemagne  and  Ilaroun  El-Raschid  sent  an  am- 
bassador to  the  Mikado,  for  no  other  purpose  than  to 
otfer  him  a poem. 

The  cultivation  of  the  poetic  art,  at  that  time,  was 
carried  to  the  pitch  of  heroism  by  a noble  maiden  of 
the  court  of  Miako.  The  beautiful  Onono-komatch 
is  usually  represented  in  her  portraits,  as  kneeling 
before  a wash-basin,  and  carefully  washing  from  the 
page  the  lines  she  has  just  written.  Her  ])assion  for 
the  perfection  of  style  was  so  strong  that  she  never 
knew  any  other. 

Although  admired  for  her  talent,  she  became  the 
object  of  jealousy,  and,  being  defenseless  against  the 
hostility  of  the  court  fops,  whose  advances  she  had  re- 
pelled, she  fell  into  disgrace,  and  was  reduced  to  the 
lowest  stage  of  misery.  For  many  a long  year  she 
Avandered  from  village  to  village,  through  the  fields  of 
Kipon,  a solitary  woman,  walking  barefoot,  leaning  on 
a pilgrim's  staff’,  and  carrying  in  her  left  hand  a basket, 


262 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


wherein  were  rolls  of  niamiscript  and  some  scanty 
nourishment.  Locks  of  white  hair  fell  from  under  the 
broad  straw  hat  which  shaded  her  lean  and  wrinkled 
face.  When  this  poor  woman  had  taken  her  seat  in 
the  threshold  of  some  temple,  the  children  of  the  town 
gathered  around  her,  attracted  by  her  sweet  smile  and 
the  fire  which  still  gleamed  in  her  eyes.  She  then 
taught  them  to  repeat  verses  which  celebrated  the 
beauties  of  the  creation.  Or  sometimes  a studious 
monk  would  respectfully  approach  her,  and  solicit  the 
favor  of  one  of  her  manuscript  poems  for  his  collection. 

The  Japanese  people  preserve  to  this  day,  with  an 
almost  religious  A'eneration,  the  memory  of  Onono-ko- 
match,  the  wonderful  woman,  the  inspired  virgin,  unas- 
suming and  severe  towards  herself  in  the  lap  of  for- 
tune, but  gentle,  patient,  fervently  devoted  to  her 
ideal,  even  in  extreme  age  and  the  deepest  adversity. 
She  is  the  most  popular  figure  in  the  poetic  pantheon 
of  the  old  empire  of  the  i\Iikados. 

The  great  literary  age  of  Japan  is  said  to  have  com- 
menced with  the  reign  of  Teuziteu-Woo,  the  thirty- 
ninth  Mikado,  who  lived  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
seventh  century.  This  prince  took  upon  himself  the 
task  of  purifying  the  national  idiom,  and  the  serv'ices 
which  he  rendered  in  this  respect,  as  well  by  his  writ- 
ings as  by  his  institutions  of  education,  have  placed  him 
at  the  head  of  the  hundred  poets  of  the  ancient  dia- 
lect which  is  called  the  language  of  Yamato,  from  the 
name  of  the  classic  province  of  Nipon  — corresponding 
to  the  Attica  of  Greece.  The  most  important  literaiy 
productions  of  his  reign  are,  the  “ Book  of  Antiqui- 
ties ; ” “ Descriptions  of  all  tiie  Provinces  cf  Japan  ; ’ 


THE  LITERARY  AGE  OF  JAPAN. 


263 


the  Nipponki,  or  Annals  of  the  Empire;”  a col- 
lection of  national  legends  ; the  first  <ireat  collection 
of  lyric  poetry ; the  “ Book  of  the  Usages  of  the 
]\Iikado,”  and  a “Universal  Encyclopaedia,”  in  imita- 
tion of  the  master-pieces  of  erudition  and  imagination 
in  this  line,  already  possessed  by  the  Chinese. 

In  examinintx  these  immense  collections,  artlessly 
illustrated  with  wood  engravings,  many  curious  com- 
parisons are  suggested  between  the  world  as  we  know 
it,  and  the  world  as  it  would  have  been,  had  its  crea- 
tion and  development  been  left  to  the  hands  of  those 
Oriental  philosophers.  It  is  natural  that  the  yellow 
race,  with  their  oblique  eyes,  should  be  the  Chinese 
model  of  human  excellence  ; but  their  pictures  of  the 
many  attempts  wdiich  the  Creator  made,  before  he  suc- 
ceeded in  producing  this  model,  are  truly  amazing. 
They  give  sketches  of  men  with  one  leg  and  o7ie  arm  ; 
or  with  heads  having  one  eye  ; or  human  bodies  on 
horses’  legs  ; or  with  legs  long  enough  to  enable  them 
to  eat  fruit  from  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees,  as  they 
stand  on  the  ground  ; or  with  arms  long  enough  to  fish 
with  them  in  deep  waters;  or  with  a number  of  arms, 
heads,  or  legs,  until,  after  many  trials,  the  perfect 
Chinese  human  being  appears  on  the  earth ! 

The  authors  of  this  theory  admit  that  no  traces  of 
the  imperfect  men  resulting  from  the  Creator’s  experi- 
ments are  now  to  be  found  among  them,  but  they  point 
to  monkeys,  negroes,  and  European  barbarians  with 
white  skins  and  red  hair,  to  prove  that  they  still  exist 
in  other  ]>arts  of  the  world. 

The  University  of  Kioto,  or  ^liako,  was  in  all  prob- 
ability founded  in  imitation  of  similar  institutions  in 


264 


TRa  vels  in  japan. 


China.  Nevertheless,  tlie  system  of  literary  or  scien- 
tific degrees,  and  comjietitive  examinations,  never  took 
very  deep  root  in  Japan.  It  existed,  it  is  true,  in  the 
eicrhth  centurv,  but  that  is  almost  all  that  is  known 
about  it.  Jaj)anese  scholarship  never  exercised  any 
influence  in  the  administration  of  the  government,  >r 
played  any  part  in  the  national  history. 

Astronomy  was  the  most  important  science  tairghl 
in  the  University.  There  still  exist  very  ancient  astro- 
nomical tables,  published  by  the  University  of  Miako, 
and  they  are  less  dry  and  technical  than  most  publica- 
tions of  the  kind,  for  the  authors  have  mingled  all  sorts 
of  remarks  and  reflections  with  their  mathematical  cal- 
culations. They  inform  us,  for  instance,  that  in  the 
year  202  there  was  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  for  .several 
days  in  succession,  beginning  every  day  at  noon  and 
terminating  at  sunset;  in  the  year  370,  a snow-white 
stag  was  seen ; in  640,  a star  was  seen  to  pass  over  the 
face  of  the  moon  ; in  646,  the  province  of  Etzisen  was 
invaded  by  an  army  of  mice,  marching  in  regular 
squadrons,  in  an  eastern  direction,  for  several  consecu- 
tive days  ; in  704,  the  court  astronomers  were  favored 
with  the  sight  of  a hei-oun.  an  exceedinglv  rare  kind 
of  cloud,  which  denotes  good  fortune,  and  thereupon 
the  Mikado  proclaimed  a general  amnesty.  The  year 
718,  on  the  contrary,  was  a season  of  great  anxiety, 
for  a comet  then  came  into  collision  with  the  moon. 

The  astronomers  of  Miako  have  adopted  the  Chi- 
nese calendar.  They  calculate  a new  almanac  for 
every  year,  which  the  priests  of  Isyd  have  the  privi- 
lege of  printing  and  selling,  by  means  of  their  agents, 
tlmmghout  the  Empire.  We  find  therein  no  chart  of 


THE  LITERARY  AGE  OF  JAPAN. 


265 


the  winds,  or  predictions  of  good  or  bad  weatlier,  but 
a very  complete  statement  t»f  tlie  combined  influences 
of  the  stars  and  tlie  elements,  in  relation  to  the 
months,  days,  and  hours  of  the  year. 

With  such  a guide  in  his  hand,  each  Japanese  is 
able  to  cast  his  own  horoscope,  or  conjecture  the  re- 
sults of  his  enterprises.  If  he  happens  to  be  deceived, 
it  is  his  own  fault,  for  he  has  not  carefully  read  or  cor- 
rectly understood  the  almanac.  Therefore  it  is  advis- 
able that  he  should  not  read  it  without  the  aid  of  some 
priest,  better  versed  than  he  in  the  mystic  combina- 
tions. In  fact,  astrology  appears  to  be  the  principal 
source  of  the  priestly  power  in  the  empire. 

However,  in  spite  of  the  priesthood,  the  astrologers, 
the  academic  poets,  and  their  conventional  standards  of 
excellence,  the  refined,  artistic  element  which  charac- 
terized the  ancient  civiliz;ition  of  Japan  has  been  so 
wrought  into  the  minds  of  the  whole  population,  that 
its  spirit  is  seen  at  this  day  in  every  branch  of  the 
native  art  and  industry.  All  that  comes  from  Miako 
bears  the  stamp  of  proportion,  of  elegant  design,  and 
the  most  exquisite  workmanship.  The  classic  age  in 
literature  was  over  long  ago,  but  its  influence  on  art 
has  continued  undiminished  for  more  than  a thousand 
years.  , 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


POPUI.AR  SUPERSTITIONS. 

HEN  the  head  of  a hoiiseliold  prepares  his 


rooms  for  the  ceremonial  banquet  wliich  fol- 


lows the  New-Year’s  festivities,  he  is  careful  to  reserve, 
between  the  last  screen  and  the  wall  of  the  farthest 
room,  a retreat,  which  he  transforms  with  his  own 
hands  into  a sanctuary. 

The  altar  is  composed  of  a light  scaffolding  of 
cedar  wood,  generally  two  stories  high,  and  covered 
with  red  tapestry.  The  upper  terrace  supports  two 
idols  of  hard  wood,  flanked  by  two  lamps  of  metal  ; 
and  on  the  lower  stage  there  are  three  small  lacquered 
tables  laden  with  the  first-fruits  of  the  3'ear ; to  wit : 
two  rice  cakes,  two  lobsters  or  fishes  wrapped  in  silver 
papers,  and  two  cups  of  saki.  On  the  wall  behind 
the  altar  are  sus]iended  sacred  pictures  painted  on 
linen,  and  on  the  floor  in  front  of  it  there  are  two  tall 
bronze  candelabra,  in  which  wax  candles  are  burning. 

“ Between  these  candelabra  the  master  of  the  house 
kneels,  alone,  or  accompanied  by  his  faithful  spouse, 
to  invoke  the  tutelar  deities  of  the  mansion.  Nothing 
will  induce  them  to  forego  this  duty,  even  though  they 
should  be  forced,  at  the  most  joyous  period  of  the  ban- 
quet to  forsake  their  guests,  and  only  see  the  wild  jol- 
lity of  the  closing  dances  as  so  main'  shadows  passing 


POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS. 


267 


over  the  semi-transparent  screen  which  conceals  their 
devotions. 

“ I am  convinced  that  the  gods  to  whom  the  private 
worsliip  of  the  Japanese  is  addressed  at  certaiji  family 
festivals,  especially  those  of  marriage  and  tlie  New 
Year,  have  nothing  in  common  with  the  Lares  and  Pen- 
ates of  the  Romans,  who  are  called  in  Japan  the  Kamis 
of  the  house.  The  character  of  the  former  is  difficult 
to  comprehend ; they  are  generally  called  gods  of 
happiness.  They  seem  to  be  personifications  of  human 
ideas  of  beatitude,  such  as  the  popular  imagination  de- 
lights to  represent  to  itself.  That  is,  at  the  side  of 
their  official  worship  and  cloudy  theology,  the  peo]ile 
have  created  a purely  human  and  symbolical  mythol- 
ogy for  their  own  use,  somewhat  like  that  of  the  Greeks, 
except  that  it  confines  itself  to  types  of  earthly  felicity, 
and  makes  no  pretensions  to  an  ideal  of  beauty. 

“ There  are  seven  gods  of  happiness,  and  their  busi- 
ness is  to  furnish  to  men  the  following  beatitudes : 
longevity,  wealth,  daily  food,  contentment,  talents, 
glory,  and  love.  But  it  rarely  happens  that  a family  is 
placed  under  their  collective  patronage.  Generally  the 
common  man  is  satisfied  to  invoke  the  god  of  daily  food 
and  the  god  of  wealth.  The  commercial  class  adds  to 
these  the  gods  of  contentment  and  longevity.  These 
four,  united,  are  called  the  gods  of  fortune  and  pros- 
perity. 

“ The  patron  of  longevity  is  naturally  the  most  ven- 
erable of  the  seven.  Having  observed  and  meditated 
so  much,  his  bald  forehead  is  of  enormous  height,  and 
his  great  white  beard  covers  his  breast.  As  he  walks 
with  slow  steps,  lost  in  his  reveries,  he  drags  his  staff 


268 


TRAVELS  IS  JAP  AS. 


M'itli  one  hand  while  with  the  fingers  of  the  other  he 
twists  the  long  liair  of  liis  eyebrows.  His  jirincipal 
symbols  are  the  tortoise  and  the  crane,  and  sometimes 
a stag  white  with  age.  His  portrait  is  never  wanting 
at  marriage  celebrations. 

“ 'I'lie  god  of  daily  food  is  also  the  patron  saint  of 
fishermen.  Yebis,  the  disgraced  brother  of  the  Snn, 
was  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a fisher  and  seller  of 
fish  ; for  this  food  miglit  almost  be  called  the  bread  of 
the  Japanese.  Thus  he  is  always  a jiopular  divinity, 
always  ready  and  cheerful.  Daikohon,  the  god  of 
wealth,  has  not  been  treated  very  reverently  by  the 
native  artists.  They  rejiresent  him  as  an  ugly  little 
fellow,  with  a flat  cap  on  his  head,  and  heavy  boots  on 
his  feet,  standing  on  two  sacks  of  rice,  tied  with  strings 
of  pearls.  His  symbol  — ironically,  it  seems  — is  the 
rat,  the  inveterate  destroyer  of  rice  and  other  property, 

“ Hotel,  the  god  of  contentment,  has  nothing  but  a 
rat:  of  sackcloth,  a wallet,  and  a fan.  When  his  wallet 
is  empty,  he  laughs  and  gives  it  to  the  children  as  a 
plaything.  He  is  somewhat  of  a vagabond,  and  the 
country  ]>eople  sometimes  meet  him  mounted  on  a 
buffalo.  They  all  know  and  like  him  ; they  show  him 
the  shady  places  on  the  hills,  and  the  children  go  to 
look  at  him  while  he  sleeps.  If  he  awakes,  he  is 
alwavs  in  a good-humor,  gathers  them  around  him,  and 
tells  them  beautiful  stories  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars. 

“ The  god  of  talents  is  equally  accessible  to  children, 
and  he  should  be  invoked  in  youth,  therefore,  rather 
than  later  in  life.  He  is  grave,  and  nothing  can  lessen 
his  dignity.  He  wears  the  stole,  cap,  aiul  slippers  of  a 
learned  doctor,  and  carries  a crozier  to  which  is  sus- 


POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS. 


269 


pended  a roll  of  parchment  and  a palm-leaf  fan.  A 
young  doe  accompanies  him  in  his  wanderings. 

“ The  god  of  glory  is  clothed  with  a golden  ( uirass 
and  helmet  and  holds  in  his  right  hand  a lance  orna- 
mented with  pennants  ; but  he  is  rarely  worshipped 
individually.  Hb  has  no  place  at  the  humble  domestic 
altar ; but  the  Buddhist  priests  have  adopted  him,  and 
they  represent  him  as  liolding  an  elegant  model  of  a 
temple  on  the  palm  of  his  left  hand.  There  could  be 
no  more  delicate  hint  offered  to  the  rich  nobility : the 
greatest  glory,  of  course,  is  the  building  of  temples,  the 
endowing  of  monasteries ! 

“ But  the  most  remarkable  of  the  seven  divinities 
is  the  goddess  of  love,  Benteu,  the  personification  of 
womaTi,  of  the  family,  of  harmony,  ajid  also  of  the  sea, 
that  fruitful  nurse  of  Japan.  She  wears  the  sacred 
stole,  an  azure  mantle,  and  a diadem  of  her  own  hair, 
whereon  shines  the  figure  of  a phoenix.  I have  seen 
her  in  a temj)le  of  that  Japanese  quarter  of  Yokohama 
which  bears  her  name,  with  her  head  crowned  with  a 
royal  crown,  over  which  was  an  aureole  of  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow,  a key  in  her  right  hand  and  a pearl  in 
her  left. 

“ Benteu  was  the  inventress  of  the  lute.  Often,  dur- 
ing the  beautiful  nights  of  summer,  a celestial  song, 
accompanied  by  melodious  accords,  is  heard  from  the 
lummit  of  the  basaltic  cliffs  which  overhang  the  waves  ; 
jt  is  the  nightly  chant  of  the  goddess,  as  she  guides  the 
»tar  of  evening  to  its  place  in  the  sky. 

“ In  the  eyes  of  the  Japanese  women,  Benteu  is  the 
highest  type  of  maternity,  the  model  of  good  mothers, 
for  she  has  fifteen  sons,  all  well-trained  and  distin- 


270 


TRA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


guislied,  with  a single  exception.  One  is  a public  func- 
tionary, recognizable  by  his  scarf  of  office  ; another  is  a 
public  writer,  carrying  his  desk  and  paper-box  ; another 
a metal-founder,  and  next  to  him  a banker,  with  scales 
for  weighing  gold  ; then  the  cultivator  of  the  soil,  with 
his  sheaves;  the  merchant,  holding  a bushel-measure  ; 
the  baker,  with  an  implement  for  measuring  rice  ; the 
tailor,  with  a package  of  ready-made  kirimons  ; the  silk- 
raiser,  with  a basket  of  mulberry-leaves ; the  brewer, 
with  a dipper  and  a keg  of  saki ; the  theologian, 
with  the  three  emblems  of  the  Buddhist  Trinity  ; the 
physician ; the  breeder  of  domestic  animals,  always 
accompanied  with  a horse  and  a buffalo  ; the  manager 
of  transportation  by  land  and  sea,  with  a boat  and  a 
rustic  cart  on  either  side;  and  finally  we  reach  the 
fifteenth,  in  whom  the  legend  terminates  with  an 
enigma,  for  he  alone  has  no  profession  or  attribute 
whatever. 

“But  might  he  not  have  an  implied  vocation?  — 
mi2;ht  he  not  have  come  too  late,  after  the  division  of 
the  goods  of  the  earth,  like  the  poet  in  Schiller’s  bal- 
lad ? However  strange  the  allusion  may  be  considered, 
I cannot  help  making  it;  for  one  might  well  believe  that 
the  conclusion  of  the  Japanese  tradition  is  the  same  as 
that  of  the  German  poem,  — ‘ The  youngest,  she  said, 
who  owns  nothing,  is  he  who  possesses  the  most  pre- 
cious gift.’ 

“ Such  are  the  principal  elements  of  the  popular 
mythology,  I might  almost  say,  of  the  common,  familiar 
philosophy  of  life,  the  moral  influence  of  which,  prop- 
erly viewed,  is  probably  better  than  any  other  in  the 
world  outside  of  Christianity.  Its  remarkable  purity, 


POPULAR  SUPERSTITIONS. 


271 


its  cheerfulness,  its  prosaic  but  sportive  good  sense, 
must  have,  more  than  anv  otlier  cause,  contributed  to 
preserve  the  Japanese  people  from  the  decay  with 
which  it  is  continually  menaced,  under  the  immense 
pressure  of  Huddhism.  Here,  I am  convinced,  will  be 
found  the  source  of  that  joviality,  that  freshness  of  spirit, 
that  child  like  simplicity  of  character,  which  distinguish 
the  laboring  classes  of  the  empire.  That  which  does 
them  the  most  honor  is  the  circumstance  that  the  wor- 
ship which  they  render  to  their  favorite  divinities  has 
little  of  the  character  of  mere  superstition. 

“ The  Japanese  recognizes  the  children  of  his  own 
imagination  in  the  seven  gods  of  happiness,  and  he  has 
no  scruples  against  amusing  himself  with  them,  when- 
ever it  seems  eood  to  him.  He  even  makes  them  the 
subject  of  innumerable  caricatures.  In  one  of  them, 
the  god  of  longevity  plays  at  backgammon  with  his 
friend  Benteu,  and  four  of  their  fellow-gods,  squatted 
around  the  board,  seem  to  be  betting  on  the  goddess. 
A fifth,  Y^bis,  brings  an  enormous  fish,  as  a present 
for  the  winner.  In  other  caricatures  the  seven  divin- 
ities go  through  various  adventures  as  travelling  actors. 
The  god  of  glory  is  obliged  to  carry  a fish  on  his  re- 
splendent lance.  Benteu,  in  a tavern,  displays  her  tal- 
ent as  a costumer,  in  arranmn^  the  wardrobe  of  the 
troupe.  During  the  performances  she  sings  and  plays 
on  the  lute,  and  the  god  of  wealth  makes  an  accompani- 
ment by  striking  a stick  on  his  heavy  wooden  mallet. 
His  symbolical  rats  act  as  jugglers.  The  god  of  lon- 
gevity makes  the  necessary  explanations  to  the  public, 
and  directs  the  performance  by  gestures  with  his  fan. 
In  still  another  picture,  the  god  of  talents  is  seen  ap- 
plying  a moxa  to  the  legs  of  the  god  of  contentment. 


272 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


“ Many  of  tlie  demiofods  and  popular  heroes  of  the 
old  mytholocry  must  also  submit  to  be  jrrotesquely  car- 
icatured. But  it  is  unnecessary  to  multiply  examples 
of  this  kind.  If  there  is  anywhere  in  the  world  a peo- 
ple who  have  no  more  illusions  to  lose,  even  concern- 
ing: their  favorite  idols,  it  is  certainly  that  which 
inhabits  the  Islands  of  the  Risincr  Sun.  They  are 

O • 

childish,  if  one  judge  them  only  from  external  appear- 
ances, but,  at  bottom,  they  are  intellectual  even  in  their 
public  diversions,  and  still  more  so  in  their  religious 
caricatures  ; for  the  latter  are  nothing  else  than  a tacit 
protest  against  the  ancient  objects  of  their  worship, 
and  a tacit  homase  offered  to  the  Unknown  God.” 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


THE  NEW  ORDER  OF  THINGS  IN  JAPAN. 

rpiHE  remarkfible  clianges  whicli  liave  recently  taken 
place  in  tlie  character  of  the  Japanese  Govern" 
ment,  are  due,  exclusively,  to  the  intercourse  of  the 
Empire  with  foreign  nations.  But  the  truth  appears 
to  he  that  there  was  an  inherent  lack  of  coherence,  of 
unity,  of  true  power,  in  the  system  estahlislied  hy 
lyeyas,  and  almost  any  influence  from  without  would 
have  developed  the  hostile  elements. 

The  government  needed  to  accomplish  two  things : 
first,  to  assure  the  permanent  and  definite  subjection 
of  the  feudal  nobility  to  the  civil  and  political  power 
exercised  hy  the  Tycoon  ; second,  to  render  the  latter 
completely  independent  of  the  Mikado,  in  all  temporal 
affairs.  This  second  point,  in  fact,  had  always  been 
claimed  by  the  successors  of  lyeyas,  and  the  govern- 
ment was  greatly  annoyed  when  the  representatives  of 
foreign  powers  demanded  that  the  treaties  concluded 
with  the  Tycoon  should  be  ratified  by  the  Mikado. 

The  hostility  of  the  native  princes  to  foreign  inter- 
course — since  the  more  intelligent  of  them  saw 
plainly  what  its  final  political  consequences  would  be  — 
not  only  led  to  the  bombardment  of  Kagosima  and  Si- 
moiioseki,  by  the  English  and  French,  but  was  one  of 
tlie  causes  of  the  revolt  of  the  Southern  princes  against 
18 


274 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


the  anthorlty  of  Stotsbaslii,  towards  the  close  of  1867. 
Although  the  Regent  had  made  considerable  military 
preparations,  instead  of  opposing  a vigorous  resistance 
to  the  rebellion,  he  suddenly  abdicated,  and  begged 
the  Mikado  “ to  call  too;ether  all  the  m'andees  of  the 
empire,  and  establish  the  government  on  a solid  basis, 
to  revise  the  Constitution,  and  thereby  open  to  the 
nation  that  path  of  progress  which  conducts  to  power 
and  prosperity.” 

The  Mikado  acceded  to  Stotsbashi’s  request  ; but 
the  assembly  of  the  j)rinces  was  tumultuous,  and  termi- 
nated in  a soi’t  of  coup  d'etdt  of  the  Southern  confed- 
erates, who  violently  brouizht  over  to  their  camp  the 
Emperor  and  his  court,  dispersed  the  friends  of  the 
Tycoon,  and  issued  decrees  abolishing  the  Tycoonate 
and  conferring  the  executive  functions  wholly  upon  the 
Mikado. 

Then  Stotsbaslii  finally  decided  to  accept  the  issue. 
The  four  palaces  which  Prince  Satsuma  jiossessed  at 
Yedo,  and  which  served  as  the  headquarters  of  the  con- 
spirators of  the  capital,  were  attacked  and  battered 
down  with  cannon.  The  army  of  the  Regent  took  up 
a position  at  Fousimi,  to  the  northwest  of  Osaka,  while 
the  troops  of  Satsuma  and  the  other  princes  in  league 
with  him  occujiied  Miako.  The  first  engagement  took 
place  on  the  28th  of  January,  1868.  For  several  days 
the  struggle  was  resumed,  with  varying  fortunes,  until 
finally,  in  a pitched  battle,  ]iart  of  Stotsbashi’s  troops 
went  over  to  the  enemy’s  side,  under  the  pretense  that 
it  was  sacrileijious  to  fi^ht  ao-ainst  the  Mikado’s  banner. 
The  castle  of  Osaka  then  fell  witlu  ut  a blow,  and 
Stotsbaslii  fled,  by  sea. 


THE  NEW  ORDER  OF  THINGS  IN  JAPAN.  275 


The  confederates  thereupon  marched  towards  Yedo. 
Nevertheless,  having  been  defeated  by  the  troops  of 
the  Prince  of  Aidzen,  they  halted,  and  the  more  mod- 
erate of  the  opposing  parties  agreed  upon  a compro- 
mise. Stotsbashi  was  invited  to  resume  his  functions, 
but  refused.  A child,  six  years  old,  of  the  clan  of 
'I'okungawa,  was  then  chosen,  but  tlie  father  refused 
to  give  his  consent,  and  the  Mikado  finally  decided  to 
suj)press  the  office  of  Tycoon,  and  himself  resume  tlie 
government  of  the  empire. 

He  made  his  solemn  entry  into  Yedo  on  the  25th  of 
November,  1868,  and  has  since  continued  to  exercise 
the  authority  of  a supreme  ruler.  Nevertheless,  the 
pacification  of  the  empire  is  not  yet  completed.  The 
Northern  princes,  who  made  a bold  stand  in  the  isl- 
and of  Yeso,  have  been  ov^ercoine,  but  the  two 
parties,  throughout  the  empire,  remain  of  nearly  equal 
strength,  and  the  government  cannot  be  considered  as 
established  on  a permanent  basis.  The  Mikado  has  been 
obliged  to  recognize  Yedo  as  a capital  (although  he 
has  changed  the  name  to  To-Kei),  he  has  been  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  representatives  of  foreign  powers, 
he  has  practically  accepted  the  new  relations  of  Japan 
with  the  world  ; and  therefore,  whatever  change  may 
yet  take  place,  he  and  his  court  of  gentlemen  have 
learned  that  other  interests  than  those  of  cock-fighting  . 
and  foot-ball  devolve  upon  them. 

The  most  recent  developments  in  Japanese  history 
indicate  that  the  prejudice  of  ages  has  at  last  been  re-r 
linquished,  and  that,  after  a very  natural  but  fruitless 
resistance,  the  government  has  succumbed  to  the  new 
policy  which  events  have  forced  upon  it.  Its  youths 


276 


TEA  VELS  IN  JAPAN. 


are  now  sent,  by  hundreds,  to  receive  an  education  in 
America  and  Europe ; its  half-explored  mineral  I’e- 
sources  are  to  be  examined  and  made  available  by  the 
aid  of  modern  science  ; and,  finally,  it  has  established 
a department  for  the  improvement  of  the  native  agri- 
culture, callinof  an  officer  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment  to  take  charge  of  it.  The  apparent  success  of 
the  Mikado  has  already  led  to  the  overthrow  of  the 
ancient  superstition  which  encircled  his  authority,  and 
his  office  is  gi-adually  transforming  itself,  despite  the 
prejudices  of  the  feudal  nobles  who  support  him,  into 
that  of  a civil  and  political  sovereign,  hardly  different 
from  the  Tycoon. 

M.  Humbert  says : “ The  commercial  relations  of 
Europe  with  Japan  are  still  far  from  having  the  im- 
portance of  those  which  we  have  with  China  and  the 
Indies.  The  commerce  between  India,  China,  and 
Japan  and  Europe  and  its  colonies,  counting  both  im- 
portations and  exportations,  amounted,  in  1867,  to  about 
seven  hundred  million  dollars,  — more  than  double 
what  it  had  been,  ten  years  before.  It  is  true,  how- 
ever, that  the  commerce  of  the  principal  Japanese 
port,  Yokohama,  has  doubled  in  much  less  than  ten 
years.  It  may  be  estimated  at  twenty  million  dollars, 
— comparativ'ely  small,  yet  much,  when  we  consider 
the  unfavorable  circumstances  attending  our  first  rela- 
tions with  Japan.  Indeed,  when  we  remember  the 
pi'oportion  of  the  population  — the  thirty -four  millions 
of  Japanese,  and  the  six  hundred  millions  of  Hindoos 
and  Chinese  — we  shall  not  only  be  satisfied  but  aston- 
ished at  the  progress  already  made.” 

“ It  will  not  be  long,”  he  adds,  “ before  they  will 


THE  NEW  ORDER  OF  THINGS  IN  JAPAN.  277 


seek  our  aid  to  develop  their  mines,  to  build  telegraphic 
lines,  and  construct  railroads  through  their  territory. 
Then  there  will  come  a day,  probably  not  distant,  when 
glass  will  replace  their  oiled  paper,  when  they  will  need 
window-shutters,  curtains,  and  mirrors  in  their  saloons  ; 
when  they  will  light  gas  instead  of  smoky  torches  ; 
when  the  fashions  of  Paris  will  have  their  imitators  in 
Nipcn,  for  some  of  the  Japanese  already  affect  the 
European  costume,  and  the  ladies  will  hardly  remain 
long  behind  the  gentlemen  in  this  respect ! 

“ The  basis  of  the  social  order  with  the  Japanese,  as 
with  the  Chinese,  is  agriculture,  which  both  races  have 
carried  to  the  highest  pitch  of  perfection.  In  other  I’e- 
spects,  their  capacities  are  widely  different.  One  might 
say,  broadly,  that  the  Japanese  have  but  a moderate 
talent  for  business,  with  a very  great  natural  aptitude 
for  arts  and  manufactures.  The  Chinese,  on  the  other 
hand,  satisfied  with  their  traditional  technical  processes 
and  utterly  indifferent  to  progress,  excel  in  banking, 
usury,  and  wholesale  as  well  as  retail  trade.  They  are 
the  commercial,  the  Japanese  the  artistic  and  industrial 
race.” 

We  conclude  with  quoting  M.  Humbert’s  remarks 
on  the  approaching  changes  in  the  movements  of  the 
civilized  world,  resulting  from  the  commercial  relations 
which  now  connect  Asia  Avith  America  and  Europe, 
and  from  the  rapid  growth  of  European  colonies  in 
various  parts  of  the  Eastern  Avorld  : “ It  will  not  be 
long  before  a sort  of  Britannic  Europe  will  be  estab- 
lished in  the  southern  part  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  This 
will  act  upon  Spanish  America  as  far  as  the  Isthmus  of 
PaJiama.  All  the  region  north  of  that  point  Avill  be 


278 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN. 


drawn  into  the  orbit  of  the  Queen  of  the  Pacific,  San 
Francisco,  which  hardly  existed  except  in  name  be- 
fore 1848,  and  now  stretches  her  arms  to  Mexico  and 
British  Columbia,  to  Cliina  and  Japan. 

“ This  prodigious  city  must  become  the  centre  of  the 
telegraphic  system  of  the  two  worlds,  communicating 
with  Eiu’ope  both  eastward  and  westward.  Since  the 
completion  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  the  European  mails 
from  China  must  necessarily  take  the  route  of  San 
Francisco  and  New’  York.  In  a few  more  years,  the 
centre  of  the  commercial  world  will  be  chano-ed : New 

o 

York  will  have  supplanted  London.  British  genius  is 
incited,  on  all  sides,  to  more  gigantic  efforts.  The  Suez 
Canal,  the  progress  of  Russia  in  Central  Asia,  the 
turning  of  communication  wdth  China  tow’ard  America, 
w’ill  oblige  England  to  unite  herself  wdth  India  by  rail, 
and  to  extend  the  lines,  already  built  in  the  latter  coun- 
try, through  Ava  to  China  ! 

“ Fortunate  competition,  noble  rivalry  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  races,  which,  forcing  them  to  multiply  their 
attacks  upon  the  colossal  Chinese  Empire,  wdll  finally 
— I venture  to  use  a strong  figure  of  speech  — lift  it 
from  its  ancient  base,  and  move  it  to  its  proper  place  in 
the  world  of  the  future.  That  new  w'orld,  wdiich  is 
now  growing  up,  far  from  our  old  Europe,  w’ill  be  the 
grandest,  the  most  fruitful  of  all  the  wmrks  of  the  age, 
and  attended  wdth  the  most  far-reaching  and  incalcula- 
ble results.  The  people  of  England,  of  America,  and 
of  Germany  seem  to  have  been  chosen  as  the  artisans 
of  this  great  work. 

“ The  Japanese  have  the  noble  ambition  of  emulat- 
ing those  nations  which  actually  rule  the  seas  and  the 


THE  HEW  ORDER  OF  THINGS  IN  JAPAN.  279 


co'Dinerce  of  the  world.  They  may  undoubtedly  suc- 
ceed in  this  aim,  but  only  on  condition  of  brin^inw  an 
equal  force  to  the  performance  of  their  task.  Do  they 
comprehend,  therefore,  that  such  a force  can  only  be 
drawn  from  that  fountain  which,  from  day  to  day, 
nourishes  the  strength  of  Christian  civilization  ? Cer- 
tain signs  seem  to  indicate  an  affirmative  answer.  The 
old  Prince  of  Elsizen,  who  filled  the  office  of  tutor  to 
the  Tycoon  after  the  murder  of  the  Regent,  wrote  in 
1864:  ‘ Why  should  Japan  refuse  to  follow  the  exam- 
ple of  foreign  nations,  even  in  the  matter  of  religion  ? 
If  this  should  be  judged  expedient,  it  will  only  be  rec- 
ognizing our  inferiority  to  those  nations.’ 

“ Such  a change,  nevertheless,  would  present  unus- 
ual difficulties.  If  it  were  ]>roposed,  for  instance,  to 
translate  the  Gospels  into  the  Japaiuise  language,  what 
characters  shall  we  use  ? If  the  hirakana,  it  would 
produce  almost  the  same  effect  as  if,  in  F ranee,  the 
Bible  were  published  in  a vulgar  dialect ; if  the  kata- 
kana,  it  would  not  be  understood  by  the  masses  of  the 
people.  Since  the  Japanese  Government  has  opened 
schools  of  foreign  languages  in  the  principal  ports, 
where  the  native  scholars  use  the  American  manuals 
of  study,  it  seems  to  me  possible  that  the  missionaries 
who  have  generally  charge  of  these  institutions,  may 
soon  attempt  to  introduce  a reform  in  the  system  of 
writing  the  Japanese  language. 

“ It  is  time  to  liberate  the  races  of  the  far  Orient 
irom  a state  of  things  wherein  the  entire  lives  of  schol- 
ars are  consumed  in  learning  foi’ms  and  conventional 
signs.  It  is  time  to  open  for  them  a way  to  those  easy 
and  agreeable  inter’iiational  relations,  which  now  exist 


280 


TRAVELS  IN  JAPAN 


between  the  civilized  races  of  the  West.  They  must, 
finally,  be  provided  with  the  means  of  creating  for 
themselves  systems  of  logic  and  psychology,  a philoso- 
phy of  history,  a truly  popular  literature,  accessible  to 
all,  and  a religion  which  shall  be  worship  in  spirit  and 
in  truth. 

“ Our  civilization  has  at  last  received  the  homage  of 
the  Mikado.  The  theocratic  Emperor,  who  protested 
against  the  treaties  entered  into  by  the  Tycoon,  now 
takes  upon  himself  the  duty  of  causing  them  to  be  re- 
spected. The  grandchild  of  the  Sun  who  had  decreed 
the  general  expulsion  of  foreigners,  admits  them  into 
the  new  ports,  the  opening  of  which  the  Tycoon  had 
delayed  from  year  to  year.  The  sovereign,  formerly 
invisible  to  his  own  subjects,  gives  audience  to  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  Powers  which  have  entered  into  re- 
lations with  his  Empire.  The  pontiff,  who  never  went 
outside  of  his  sacred  city  of  Miako,  now  establishes 
himself  for  certain  periods  in  the  residence  of  the  later 
Tycoons,  in  the  midst  of  the  bourgeoisie  of  Yedo. 

“ Surely,  the  ancient  Japan  of  the  gods,  the  demi- 
gods, and  their  successors,  has  ceased  to  exist  and  will 
never  again  come  to  life.” 


Scribners’  New  List 


Books  for  YoungFolks 


* For  SiiU  hy  all  booksellers^  or  7ulll  be  sen!,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

Charles  Scribner  s Sons,  Publishers, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


A NEW  BOOK  OF  LEGENDS. 

COMPAN/OX  VOLUME  TO  THE  "BOY'S  FROISSART"  AXD  THE  "BOV'S 
KING  ARTHUR." 


THE  BOY'S  MABINOGION. 

Edited,  with  an  Introduction,  by  SIDNEY  LANIER. 

WITH  ILI.USTRATIONS  BY  ALFRED  FREDERICKS. 


One  Volume  Crown  Seo,  Extra  Cloth,  - - - - - $3.00 


The  series  of  Boys’  classics  of  History  and  L^end,  which  Mr.  Sidney  Lanier  hat 
begun  so  auspiciously  with  his  BOY'S  FROISSART  and  BOY'S  KING  ARTHUR,  has 
an  important  addition  this  year  in  the  BOY'S  MABINOGION,  a companion  to  the  last- 
named  volume,  being  the  Welsh  legends  of  King  Arthur  and  his  knights.  This  series  is 
to  receive  still  further  and  very  important  accessions  hereafter. 


sa/e  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  postpaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS. 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


**  The  hook  is  romantiCy  poetical^  avd  full  of  the  real  adventure  'tvhich  is  so  much 
wholesome  than  the  sham  which  Jills  so  much  of  the  stimulating  juvenile  literature  of  the  day.** 
— Detroit  Krke  Press. 


THE  BOY’S  KING  ARTHUR. 

Being  Sir  THOMAS  MALORY’S  History  of  King  Arthur  and 
his  Knights  of  the  Round  Table. 

Edited,  with  an  Introduction,  by  SIDNEY  LANIER. 

WITH  12  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  ALFRED  KAPPES. 


One  Vohnne  .Vro,  ICxtrn  Cloth  - - - - * 


Mr.  Sidney  Lanier,  under  the  title  of  THE  BOY’S  KING  ARTHUR,  has  given  the 
FROISSART  a companion  which  perhaps  even  surpasses  it.  However  familiar  the  Ar- 
thurian heroes  may  be  to  him,  as  mere  names  encountered  in  poetry  and  scattered  legends, 
not  one  boy  in  ten  thousand  will  be  prepared  for  the  endless  fascination  of  the  great 
stories  in  their  original  shape  and  vigor  of  language.  He  will  have  something  of  the 
feeling  with  which,  at  their  first  writing,  as  Mr.  Lanier  says  in  his  Preface,  the  fasci- 
nated world  read  of  Sir  Lancelot  du  Lake,  of  Queen  Guenever,  of  Sir  Tristram,  of  Queen 
Isolde,  of  Merlin,  of  Sir  Gawaine,  of  the  Lady  of  the  Lake,  of  Sir  Galahad,  and  of  the 
wonderful  search  for  the  Holy  Cup,  called  the  ‘ Saint  Graal.’  ” 


•**  For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  Publishers, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY.  NEW  YORK. 


“ That  boy  will  he  lucky  7vho  gels  Mr.  Sidney  Lanier's  Bov’s  Kroissakt  for  a Christmas  g.  e. 
jnt  this  year.  There  is  no  better  and  healthier  reading  for  boys  than  * Fine  Sir  'John;'  and  this 
■volume  is  so  handsome,  so  well  printed,  and  so  well  illustrated,  that  it  is  a pleasure  to  look  it  over." 
— Nation. 


THE  BOY’S  FROISSART. 

Edited,  ■with  an  Introduction,  by  SIDNEY  LANIER. 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  ALFRED  K_A,PPES. 


One  ToUnne  Crown  Sro,  Extra  Cloth  $3.00. 


“As  you  read  of  the  fair  knights  and  the  foul  knights,  — for  Froissart  tells  of  both, — 
it  cannot  but  occur  to  you  that  somehow  it  seems  harder  to  be  a good  knight  nowadays 
than  it  was  then.  . . . Nevertheless  the  same  qualities  which  made  a manful  fighter  then, 
make  one  now.  To  speak  the  very  truth  ; to  perform  a promise  to  the  utmost;  to  rever- 
ence all  women ; to  maintain  right  and  honesty  ; to  help  the  weak ; to  treat  high  and  low 
with  courtesy  ; to  be  constant  to  one  love  ; to  be  fair  to  a bitter  foe  ; to  despise  luxury  ; to 
pursue  simplicity,  modesty,  and  gentleness  in  heart  and  bearing,  — this  was  in  the  oath  of 
the  young  knight  who  took  the  stroke  upon  him  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and  this  is 
still  the  way  to  win  love  and  glory  in  the  nineteenth."  — Extract  from  the  Preface. 


'^*For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  postpaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  Publishers, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


ABOUT  OLD  STORY-TELLERS. 

OP  HOW  AND  WHEN  THEY  LIVED,  AND  WHAT  STORIES 
THEY  TOLD. 

By  DONALD  G.  MITCHELL, 

AUTHOR  OF  “THE  REVERIES  OF  A BACHELOR,”  ETC.,  ETC, 

WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  long  silence  of  this  favorite  author  is  at  length  broken,  and  it  is  the  young  people 
whom  he  now  invites  to  the  feast  which  he  has  prepared  for  them.  The  somewhat 
quaint  title  of  the  book  faithfully  indicates  its  contents. 

In  the  Preface,  which  is  addressed  to  “ Grown-up  People,”  Mr.  Mitchell  very  charm 
ingly  says,  ”In  the  matter  of  books,  as  in  the  world,  1 believe  in  old  friends,  and  don't 
tn«nk  they  should  be  laid  away  upon  the  shelf  without  good  cause  ; and  age  is  hardly 
cause  enough.  In  short,  I must  confess  a lurking  fondness  for  those  good,  old-fashionea 
stories  which  were  current  forty  years  ago,  — and  some  of  them  maybe  a hundred  year* 
ago,  — written  in  good,  straightforward  English,  with  good,  straightforward  intent.” 


saU  by  all  booksellers ^ or  will  be  sent ^ prepaid^  tpon  receipt  of  price ^ by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  Publishers 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


A Sew  Hook  by  Frank  li.  Stockton, 


THE  FLOATING  PRINCE 

AND  OTHER  FAIRY  TALES. 

One  Tol.,  Quarto,  Extra  Cloth,  -------  $li,60 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  BENSELL  AND  OTHERS. 


Mr.  Stockton's  name  alone  is  enough  to  make  the  announcement  of  his  new  collec- 
tion of  stories  bring  a smile  of  glad  anticipation  to  the  faces  of  those  who  have  laughed 
over  his  Rudder  Grange  and  Jolly  Eellowship,  and  remember  those  excellent  books, 
Roundabout  Rambles  and  Tales  out  of  School,  which  are  now  reissued  in  new  edi- 
tions in  an  attractive  style. 

With  “The  Floating  Prince"  are  published  “The  Reformed  Pirate,"  “How  the 
Aristocrats  Sailed  Away,”  and  several  equally  good  Fairy  Tales,  all  of  which  are  illus- 
trated in  the  most  captivating  style. 


*i^For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


*,*  i-'or  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  Publishers, 

;43  auJ  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


A Jolly 


Fellowship. 


BY 


Frank  R.  Stockton, 

Author  of 

judder  Qraiige. 

One  vol.  x2mo.  Extra  Cloth. 

i(Uu.stvntrrt, 

Price, $1.50 


Mr.  Stockton  has  given  so  many 
proofs  of  his  powers  to  interest 
and  amuse  young  peopls,  that  a 
new  hook  from  his  pen  will  not 
fail  of  a hearty  welcome. 

“A  Jolly  Fellowship”  is  the 
story  of  the  adventures  of  two 
school-hoys,  who  make  a vacation 
trip  to  Florida.  They  form  a fast 
friendship  with  a young  girl  of 
their  own  age,  who  is  traveling 
there  with  her  parents,  and  the 
league  which  they  make  is  the 
“ jolly  fellowship.”  They  have  a 
good  many  adventures,  get  into 
all  sorts  of  scrapes,  and  have  a 
good  time  generally. 

Some  of  their  experiences  are 
very  funny,  and  so  are  many  of 
the  characters  they  fall  in  with. 

The  pictures,  hy  Mr.  Kelly, 
have  unusual  merit,  and  are  ex- 
actly in  keeping  with  the  text 
they  illustrate. 


Xetv  Editions  of  Old  Favorites. 

ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES 

IN  LANDS  OF  FAOT  AND  FICTION. 

By  FRANK  R.  STOCKTON. 

Otit>  Vol.,  QwMrto,  Boards,  Wi^h  attractive  LUho^rap?ird  Caver.  370  Batjea, 

200  Xllustrationg. 

J' rice  reduced  from  $3.00  to  - • _ _ . _ _ 


Uniform  iritit  **  Htut  ntiahout  lininhlesf^ 

TALES  OUT  OE  SCHOOL. 

Ji  Aew  Xldiiinu,  Brice  reduced  from  $3.00  to  - - - $1.50 

The  constant  demand  for  Mr.  Stockton's  popular  books,  which  has  already  exhausted 
two  large  editions,  leads  the  publishers  to  re>issue  them  in  a new  and  attractive  form  at 
a reduced  price  to  command  a popular  sale. 


*♦*  saU  by  all  booksclUfs , or  trill  be  srftt,  prepaid^  upon  receipt  of  price^  by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  Publishers, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


A Novel  of  Bof!  Life. 


PHAETON  ROGERS. 

By  ROSSITER  JOHNSON. 

Oyie  Vol.,  Square  I'imo.  Illustrated.  Handsomely  bound,  - - $1.S0 


The  action  in  this  capital  story  grows  mainly  out  of  the  hero's  inventive  faculty, 
which  manifests  itself  in  horizontal  balloon  ascensions  and  artificial  comets,  as  well  as 
in  quieter  and  more  useful  mechanical  problems.  Other  characters  contribute  their 
share— Isaac  Holman,  the  learned  boy,  Jimmy  Redmond,  the  poetical  boy,  and  Ned 
Rogers,  brother  of  the  hero,  the  impulsive  and  blundering  boy. 


*,f*For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  Publishers, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


“ For  children,  ivhat  could  be  better  as  a Christmas  gift  than  a cofy  of  Mrs.  Dodge's 
Hans  Brinker;  or,  the  Silver  Skates,  of  which  we  are  now  given  a ?iew  ami 
beautiful  edition  ? This  is  one  of  the  most  eharming  of  juvenile  stories,  dealing  with 
fresh  scenes  and  a strange  life,  and  told  with  sweet  simplicity  and  great  beauty."  — CoN- 
OREOATIUNALIST. 

A NEW  ILLUSTRATED  EDITION  OT 

HANS  BRINKER: 

Or,  THE  SILVER  SKATES. 

A STORY  OF  LIFE  IN  HOLLAND. 

By  Mrs.  MARY  MAPES  DODGE, 

Author  of  “Rhymes  and  Jingles,”  and  Editor  of  “St.  Xicholas.” 

WITH  TWELVE  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


One  Volunie,  1‘Inio,  Cloth,  beeelled  edges  . . - . $1.50. 


HANS  BRINKER;  or,  THE  SILVER  SKATES,  is  one  of  those  stories  which  is  j 
destined  to  be  a source  of  perennial  delight  to  generation  after  generation  of  children.  It  j 
tells  of  life  in  Holland,  a country  which  changes  so  little  that  a story  of  people  who  J 
lived  there  twenty  years  ago  might  be  told  of  to-day  as  well;  and  it  is  marked  through  'J 
out  by  a vivacity,  a freshness,  and  a healthy  vigor,  which  goes  straight  to  the  heart  o<  j 
every  reader,  whether  he  be  old  or  young. 


***  For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  I’v 

Charles  Scribner’s  sons,  publishers, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK 


A Charming  New  Volume  for  Girls  and  Boys. 


RHYMES  AND  JINGLES. 

A yeiv  JCUition,  with  additio^^a  and  New  Illuatrati4>na, 

One  Vol,,  Snwill  Quarto,  Clothf  ------  $1,50 


Mrs.  MARY  MAPES  DODGE  is  not  only  one  of  the  best  editors  of  young  people’s 
literature,  but  one  of  the  best  of  living  writers  for  children.  Her  “Hans  Brinker”  in 
prose,  and  her  many  songs  and  brief-rhymed  stories  have  been  among  the  most  popular 
writings  of  th6ir  kind  ever  published  in  America. 

In  the  present  volume  the  child-poems  by  her,  which  have  had  the  free  range  of  the 
newspaper  press  for  many  years,  are  now  brought  together  for  the  first  time.  Thousands 
of  children  who  have  learned  not  a few  of  these  verses  by  heart  will  now,  for  the  first 
time,  discover  the  name  of  their  author.  “ Rhymes  and  Jingles  **  are  not  written  about 
children  but  for  them,  and  some  of  them  have  been  pronounced  “without  rivals  in  our 
language.”  Every  child  should  have  a copy  of  these  witty  and  beautiful  verses. 


*^*For  sale  by  all  booksellers^  or  will  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


Noah  Brooks'  Books  for  Boys, 


THE  FAIRPORT  NINE. 

By  NOAH  BROOKS. 

One  Tol,,  12mo,  Handsomely  houndy  ......  $1,00 


Like  Mr.  Brooks's  Hoy  Emigrants,  this  is  a story  of  American  boys.  Although  it 
treats  of  a base-ball  club,  it  is  by  no  means  exclusively  devoted  to  the  chronicles  of 
the  game. 

The  Fairport  Nine  have  their  closely  contested  matches  with  the  “White  Bears,” 
and  the  description  will  bring  vividly  before  every  lover  of  that  manly  sport  similar 
scenes  in  which  he  has  shared.  But  they  also  have  their  Fourth  of  July  frolic,  their 
military  company,  their  camp  in  the  woods,  and  the  hading  of  hidden  treasure  with 
many  boyish  episodes,  in  which  are  faithfully  portrayed  the  characteristic  features  of 
American  bojrs’  life  in  the  country.  It  is  a capital  story,  with  a manly  and  healthful 
tone,  and  will  go  straight  to  a boy's  heart. 


THE  BOV  EMIGRANTS. 

By  NOAH  BROOKS. 

Onf  Vol.,  timo.,  cloth.  >'p»r  Edition,  - - - - - $1,B0 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  THOMAS  MORAN,  W.  L.  SHEPPARD,  and  othere. 


The  Boy  Emigrants  is  a story  of  the  adventures  of  a party  of  young  gold  seekers  on 
the  Overland  Emigrant  Route,  and  in  California,  during  the  early  rush  to  the  mines. 
Since  the  author  was  himself  an  emigrant  of  this  description,  the  scenes  and  incidents 
are  drawn  from  life,  and  the  book  may  be  accepted  as  a fresh  and  vivid  picture  of  life 
on  the  Plains  and  in  the  mines  from  an  entirely  novel  point  of  view. 

While  the  story  is  not  designed  to  be  a history,  it  reproduces  in  a graphic  and 
spirited  manner  the  wonderful  and  exceptional  phases  of  the  life  of  which  it  treats. 
The  illustrations  by  Moran,  Sheppard,  and  other  artists,  give  additional  attractiveness 
tc  the  book.  

’i^*For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  uill  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS.  PUBLISHERS, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


"Om  of  tht  most  attractive  narratives  for  lads  that  has  been  written  in  many  a. 
day.  It  is  clean,  breezy  and  natural. — N.  Y.  Home  Journal. 


DAB  KINZER. 

A STORY  OF  A GROWING  BOY. 

By  WILLIAM  O.  STODDARD. 

One  Vol,,  t2iun,  330  pages,  - - -----  $1,00 


Dab  Kinzer  is  one  of  the  delightful  tales  that  worthily  takes  rank  with  “ Phaeton 
Rogers,”  “A  Jolly  Fellowship,”  or  “Hans  Brinkcr.”  There  is  abundant  opportunity 
for  boy-heroism  and  manly  adventure  in  the  nautical  expeditions  of  Dab  and  his  friends, 
and  the  triumphs  and  achievements  as  well  as  the  trials  and  tribulations  of  boy-life 
furnish  ample  diversity  of  plot  and  incident. 


CKITICAL  NOTICES. 

” A really  good  story  for  boys  is  a good  story  for  anybody  and  ever>’body.  Just  such  is  furnished 
in  the  volume  before  us.” — Davenport  Gazette. 

” It  fairly  brims  over  with  humor,  and  it  is  as  breezy  all  through  as  the  Long  Island  shore  whereon 
Dab  Kinzer  lived.” — American  Rural  Home. 

”The  book  is  enlivened  with  a racy  and  genuine  humor.  It  is,  moreover,  notably  healthy  in  its 
tone,  and  in  every  way  is  just  the  thing  for  boys.” — Philadelphia  North  A merican. 

“ It  is  full  of  fun,  liveliness,  and  entertainment.  Dab  Kinzer  will  be  voted  a good  fellow,  wheth- 
er at  home,  at  school,  or  out  fishing.” — Portland  Press. 

” It  is  written  in  that  peculiarly  happy  vein  which  enchants  while  it  instructs,  and  is  one  of  those 
thoroughly  excellent  bits  of  juvenile  literature  which  now  and  then  crop  out  from  the  surface  of  a mass 
of  common-place.” — Philadelphia  Press. 

” In  a literary  point  of  view,  we  are  inclined  to  rank  this  book  among  the  first  of  its  kind  * ♦ ♦ 

A father  who  wants  his  boy  to  grow  up  in  a manly  way,  may  find  in  such  hooks  something  to  help  him 
dJtidii\n%\y  —Christian  Intelligencer. 


Uniform  with  “ Dtib  Kinzerl’ 

THE  QUARTET. 

A SEQUEL  TO  DAB  KINZER. 

By  WILLIAM  O.  STODDARD. 

One  Vol,,  12mo,  330  pages,  - ------  $1.00 

Mr.  Stoddard’s  I>ab  Kinzer  proved  so  popular,  both  as  a serial  and  in  book  form, 
that  he  has  published  a sequel  to  that  story  which  gives  Dab  a good  education  and  a 
wife.  Nothing  in  juvenile  literature  can  excel  the  healthful  manly  quality  of  these 
stories. 


*^*For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent,  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

•743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


STANDARD  BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


TRAVEL,  HISTORY,  SCIENCE  AND  ART. 


A New  Edition  at  Reduced  Price. 

BAYARD  TAYLOR’S  LIBRARY  OF  TRAVEL. 

6 Volt.,  Square  t 'mo,  with  many  ^illustrations.  Handsomely  bound. 


JAPAN  IN  OUR  DAY. 

TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA. 

TRAVELS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA. 
CENTRAL  ASIA. 

Price  per  set,  in  a box, 

or  sold  separately 


THE  LAKE  REGIONS  OF  CENTRAL 
AFRICA. 

SIAM,  THE  LAND  OF  THE  WHITE 
ELEPHANT. 

$6.00 

t $1.25  per  volume. 


EPOCHS  OF  HISTORY. 

“ These  voiutnes  contain  the  ripe  results  of  the  studies  o/  men  who  are  authorities  in  their  re- 
spective fields." — The  Nation. 


EPOCHS  OF  MODERN  HISTORY. 

THE  ERA  OF  PROTESTANT  REVOLU- 
TION. 

THE  CRUSADES. 

THE  THIRTY  YEARS’  WAR,  1618-1648. 
THE  HOUSES  OF  LANCASTER  & YORK. 
■"HE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION  AND 
FIRST  EMPIRE. 

THE  AGE  OF  ELIZABETH. 

THE  FALL  OF  THE  STUARTS. 

THE  PURITAN  REVOLUTION. 

THE  EARLY  PLANTAGENETS. 

AGE  OF  ANNE. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  MIDDLE 
AGES. 

THE  NORMANS  IN  EUROPE. 
FREDERICK  THE  GREAT  AND  THE 
SEVEN  YEARS’  WAR. 


EPOCHS  OF  ANCIENT  HISTORY. 
THE  GREEKS  AND  THE  PERSIANS. 
THE  ATHENIAN  EMPIRE. 

THE  MACEDONIAN  EMPIRE. 

EARLY  ROME. 

THE  GRACCHI  MARIUS  AND  SULLA. 
THE  ROMAN  TRIUMVIRATES. 

THE  EARLY  EMPIRE. 

THE  AGE  OF  THE  ANTONINES. 
TROY. 

ROME  AND  CARTHAGE. 


♦,*  Each  one  vol.,  16mo,  uritli  Haps. 
Each  volume  complete  in  itself,  and 
sold  separately. 

Price  per  vof.,  in  cloth,  - $1.00 


The  same  in  sets  Roxburgh  binding,  gilt  top,  at  the  rate  of  $1.00  per  vol. 


ILLUSTRATED  LIBRARY  OF  WONDERS. 

The  First  Series  Comprises: 


Ulus. 


WONDERFUL  ESCAPES  26 

BODILY  STRENGTH  AND  SKILL 70 

BALLOON  ASCENTS 30 

GREAT  HUNTS 22 

EGYPT  3,300  YEARS  AGO 40 

THE  SUN.  By  Guillemin  58 

WONDERS  OF  HEAT 93 

OPTICAL  WONDERS 71 

WONDERS  OF  ACOUSTICS no 

THE  HEAVENS 48 


Price  per  single  vol.,  cloth, 

The  same,  in  sets  of  20  vols.,  cloth. 


Ulus. 

THE  HUMAN  BODY 43 

THE  SUBLIME  IN  NATURE ^ 

INTELLIGENCE  OF  ANIMALS  st 

THUNDER  AND  LIGHTNING 39 

BOTTOM  OF  THE  SEA 68 

ITALIAN  ART 28 

EUROPEAN  ART 40 

ARCHITECTURE 6c 

GLASS-MAKING 62 

WONDERS  OF  POMPEII 22 

$1.23 

with  a rack,  ...  25.00 


*i^*For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK- 


JULES  VERNE’S  GREATEST  WORK 


THE  EXPLORATION  OE  THE  WORLD. 


Three  Volumes  Hvo  Extra  Cloth,  with  lOO  Eull-page  Engravings  In  each. 
Price,  .$3.30  per  Volume. 


In  this  chief  of  his  works,  M.  Jules  Verne  has  set  himself  to  tell  the  story  of  alt  the 
most  stirring  adventures  of  which  we  have  any  written  record,  — to  give  the  history, 
“from  the  time  of  Hanno  and  Herodotus  down  to  that  of  Livingstone  and  Stanley,”  of 
those  voyages  of  exploration  and  discovery  which  are  among  the  most  thrilling  episodes 
in  the  history  of  human  enterprise.  In  short,  M.  Verne  has  chosen  for  his  most  important 
book  the  only  subject  which  he  could  make  surpass  his  own  vivid  and  realistic  stories  in 
absorbing  interest : to  the  treatment  of  such  material  he  brings  all  the  dash  and  vivid 
picturesqueness  of  his  own  creations,  and  it  may  be  imagined  that  he  makes  a book 
worth  reading. 

The  plan  of  the  work  is  so  valuable  that  it  is  a matter  for  surprise  that  such  a histo- 
ry has  never  been  undertaken  before.  To  trace  connectedly  the  progress  of  discovery,  as 
M.  Verne  does,  from  the  time  when  the  world  was  a very  small  circle  indeed,  surrounded 
by  the  densest  of  outer  darkness,  and  when  the  Carthagenian  navigators  ventured  timiciy 
out  of  the  Mediterranean,  is  to  gain  an  altogether  new  idea  of  the  daring  and  skill  that 
has  been  expended  in  this  one  direction.  It  is  a worthy  subject  for  the  most  ambitious 
work  of  such  a writer. 

The  work  includes  three  divisions,  each  in  one  volume  complete  in  itself, — 

I.  FAMOUS  TRAVELS  AND  TRAVELLERS. 

II.  THE  GREAT  NAVIGATORS. 

III.  THE  EXPLORERS  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 

Each  volume  in  the  series  is  very  fully  illustrated  with  full-page  engravings  by  French 
artists  of  note;  and  the  volume  of  “FAMOUS  TRAVELS”  is  made  still  more  interest- 
ing by  many  fac-similes  from  the  original  prints  in  old  voyages,  atlases,  etc. 


“ The  Prince  of  Story-tellers."  — Lo.ndon  Times. 


THE  WORKS  OF  JULES  VERNE. 

PUBLISHED  BY  CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS. 

THE  COMPLETE  AND  AUTHORIZED  EDITIONS. 


The  following  works  of  M.  Jules  Verne  are  published  by  Messrs.  Charles  ScribnePs  Sons,  by  ar« 
rangement  with  Messrs.  Sampson  Low  & Co.  of  I ondon,  in  accordance  with  the  right  ceded  to  them  by 
MM.  Het2c!  & Co.,  the  publishers  of  M.  Verne’s  works  in  the  original  French  edition.  These  volumes 
contain  all  the  illustrations  of  the  French  edition,  and  are  the  only  complete  and  authorized  books  of  M. 
Jules  Verne  published  in  this  country. 

MICHAEL  STROGOFF ; or.  The  Courier  of  the  Czar.  One  vol.  8vo  .... 

A FLOATING  CITY  AND  THE  BLOCKADE  RUNNERS.  One  vol.  8vo 
DICK  SANDS.  One  vol.  8vo  ............. 

A JOURNEY  TO  THE  CENTRE  OF  THE  EARTH.  Onevol.  izmo 
THE  MYSTERIOUS  ISLAND.  The  complete  work  in  one  volu.me,  with  150  illustrat  ons, 
HECTOR  SERVADAC.  One  vol.  8vo  ........... 

STORIES  OF  ADVENTURE.  One  vol.  lamo 

FROM  THE  EARTH  TO  THE  MOON  Direct  in  Ninety-seven  Hours,  Tat  nty 
Minutes,  and  a journey  Around  it.  One  vol.  lamo.  Price  reduced  to  . 

THE  DEMON  OF  CA'WNPORE.  Being  Part  First  of  THE  STEAM  HOUSE.  One 

vol.  lamo 

TIGERS  AND  TRAITORS.  Being  Part  Second  of  THE  STEAM  HOUSE.  One  vol.  izmo. 


$3  00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
3 00 
I 30 

I 50 

i 50 
I 5® 


^^For  sale  by  all  bookselUrSy  or  will  he  sent^  postpaid,  upon  receipt  of  price,  by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  Publishers, 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


JULES  VERNE’S  LATEST  STORY 


The  Giant  Raft.  Part  I, 

EIGH  r-HUNDRED  LEAGUES 

ON  THE  AMAZON. 

One  Vol.f  S<iu*trt>  t'i-tno,  Kjct rn  i lotft.  $i,SO 

WITH  FIFTY  FULL  PA(;E  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


THE  START  OF  THE  JURGADA. 

The  series  of  volumes  which  Jules  Verne  has  brought  out  with  the  view  of  giving 
an  orderly  account  of  the  great  voyages  and  explorations  of  all  times  is  completed  with 
The  Explorers  of  the  yineteent h Ventwry  In  addition  to  this  volume,  a new  work 
by  the  same  author  is  in  course  of  publication.  It  is  entitled  The  Giant  Ettfi,  and  its 
scene  is  laid  in  South  America,  the  title  of  the  first  part  being  '*  Ught  Hundred  Leagues 
on  the  Amazon/'  Like  the  recent  House/'  it  is  adorned  with  many  spirited  illus- 

trations by  French  artists,  and  has  all  the  wonderful  interest  of  scenery  and  incident 
which  Jules  Verne  knows  how  to  put  into  all  his  books. 


***  sale  by  all  booksellers^  or  will  b:  seat,  pre-paid^  upon  receipt  of  prici , by 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons.  Publishers. 

743  and  745  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


-*r  -• 

■'.  % V 

I t 


t (T--. 


■•4 


£ « a.-' 


